Maiden Issue Vol. 2 2012 Complimentary Copy

Harness the Power of Pinterest for your Biz

Shaun Olarte: Executive to EntrepreneurAre You Afraid to Invest?

Make Your Own Website, Easily!Quick Tip! How to Pick Keywords

How to Create a Small Business PlanPlan Your Exit Strategy

Want a Creative Team?

The Power of Beliefs

What’s Inside:

eMagazine

The Power of Beliefs to Move Markets by Dominic Barton | Conor Kehoe

Your Own Website, Easily!by Rochelle | DocStoc.com  Harnessing the Power of Pinterest for Your Bizby Rochelle | DocStoc.comby Rochelle | DocStoc.com How to Write a Small Business Plan by Jill Berry  Want a Creative Team? Make It Diverseby Beth Comstock | Harvard Business Review   Shaun Olarte: From Executive to Entrepreneurby Remo Aver  Do You Have What it Takes to Invest?by Damian Papworth  Planning Your Exit Strategy: When is the Right Time ?Planning Your Exit Strategy: When is the Right Time ?from DocStoc

by Dominic Barton and Conor Kehoe

The Power of Beliefs to Move Markets

People go into business for themselves for a lot of reasons, including freedom, control, and, of course, the potential to make more money. But few entrepreneurs truly appreciate how much potential lies dormant in their companies.

Despite promising signs of change, such as a growing turn away from the standard practice of issuing quarterly earnings guidance, old attitudes die hard. More and more, we realize, the crucial first old attitudes die hard. More and more, we realize, the crucial first step is to tackle our deeply embedded intellectual frameworks. Beliefs drive actions and altering our belief systems will ultimately do more than anything else to amplify and reinforce the kinds of behavioral changes that, in the end, are the only measure that counts. In this blog post we'd like to focus on two belief shifts that are critical.

1) Believe in your power to make markets efficient — but abandon the efficient market dogma

The global financial markets are an extraordinary information processing engine. Nothing beats the tracking mechanism of stock prices when it comes to quantifying the constant immediately embedded in prices. Such a belief implies that any and all decisions that improve a company's short term share price and all decisions that improve a company's short term share price must logically also be improving its long term health and vice versa. There can be no contradiction, or so the theory goes.

In fact, much evidence suggests that the market often gets it very wrong in the short term — with the most telling example being the 2008 financial crash itself. Beyond such large and violent macro-swings, our own research at McKinsey suggests businesses that reallocate their capital more aggressively can generate higher long reallocate their capital more aggressively can generate higher long term returns than their more passive peers - even if, in the first few years, such actions initially reduce previously expected earnings (and thus may prompt a set of investors to sell down the stock, regardless of the long term value creation). Assuming the market is perfectly efficient, it appears, merely damns it to inefficiency.

Our suggestion: instead of passively accepting that the market is Our suggestion: instead of passively accepting that the market is always right, investors, managers and boards of directors need to think in terms of how they can actively make it more efficient. In short, they need to develop and contribute viewpoints to the market - not assume the market already contains them - and then

be ready to stick to their guns. This is the way both to achieve higher returns and make the market more efficient.

2) Believe in the real game — long-term value creation — and stop acting as if you are meeting your highest calling if you simply play by the rules

We direct this urgent call less at operating managers, who are out there getting muddy and trying to score goals every dathere getting muddy and trying to score goals every day, than at other critical corporate players, such as the trustees of pension funds and sovereign wealth funds or a company's independent directors. Does anyone honestly think this crowd today are doing all they could to provide good governance and proper stewardship? Sadly no. Too often they focus more on checking the boxes and ensuring that they have met their (not inconsiderable) compliance obligations. But with a crucial mental reset, they could and should obligations. But with a crucial mental reset, they could and should play a much more vital role in pursuing the real prize, which is long-term value creation.

For big pension fund and SWF managers, that role change starts with spending the real time required to understand and have a forward-looking viewpoint on their investments. There are many ways to achieve this end, once belief systems shift. One path could be to concentrate one's portfolio. For example, Dutch could be to concentrate one's portfolio. For example, Dutch pension fund PGGM, with over 100 billion euros under management, decided a few years ago to focus one of its 3 billion euros of its equity portfolio on 15-20 stocks, engage with those investments as an active long-term owner — and stop tracking the indexes. Another course might be to take more activity 'in house',

especially if contracting investment management out makes it difficult to achieve alignment with one's chosen asset managers. Or it may involve keeping a wide portfolio but concentrating governance efforts on shaping management and strategy at a few stocks at a time - and doing so either alone or in collaboration with others.

Independent directors confront the same challenge: currently they Independent directors confront the same challenge: currently they too often serve as the box-checking last step in signing-off on a CEO-run strategic process. If they want to move beyond obeying the letter of the laws governing their fiduciary duties and delve deeply into the content of strategy, then they need to increase one critical investment: their time. This won't be easy, but there are signs the core belief system may be changing. In a recent survey of some 1600 members of boards of directors, we found that their of some 1600 members of boards of directors, we found that their number one goal is to spend more time on strategy and the best way to achieve this, they believe, is to carve out 10 more days a year for their board duties (a third more time than they are currently spending).

The key step is to foster deeper board engagement. Beyond that, we have learned, it also helps if an active independent director's relevant skills match up with the strategy of the company he aims relevant skills match up with the strategy of the company he aims to steward. Our recent research on 110 large European companies managed by private equity firms found a strong correlation between successful value creation and the skill set of the partner serving as lead director.

PE partners with extensive M&A experience delivered better results when the companies they were overseeing were also embarked on an aggressive M&A strategy. Similarly companies pursuing organic growth created more value when the lead directors from their PE owners had backgrounds with deep management expertise.

Obviously much more needs to be done to foster a capitalism Obviously much more needs to be done to foster a capitalism that is truly patient, principled and socially accountable. The list stretches from adopting an investor relations policy that concentrates on fostering a long term investor base and developing better metrics to tackling, with guidance from active owners, some of the flaws and inequities in executive compensation. We intend to continue exploring those issues--and the solutions required to better address them--in our ongoing and the solutions required to better address them--in our ongoing research. But the critical first step, we're convinced, is for more and more institutional investors and independent board members to abandon old orthodoxies and embrace a new belief: the belief that through greater engagement and more active ownership/stewardship they can enhance the market's efficiency while delivering greater value creation for stakeholders and shareholder alike.alike.

BizQuoteIf you can’t Beat them, Confuse them.

Source: Harvard Business Review

by Jill Berry

How to Write a Small Business Plan

With a new product design under your wing, you’re ready to start your business. Right? Not so fast. How will you market this product? What will be the product run? Who will invest in your business? By following a comprehensive business plan, you will be on the road to success.

The business plan for one business will not be identical to another businessbusiness’ plan. Each plan is a unique guideline for the path the business will follow. A business plan should be followed precisely, but deviations due to unexpected events or fluctuations in the market should be expected.

Think of the small business plan as a road map with goals. Often plans are done in 3- or 5-year cycles, and the goals can be large or small. Each goal should have a deadline for completion. With the plan, all company employees from management to technician should know the company’s goals. Of course, management may choose not to share all facets of the plan with staff due to sensitivity of the data. For instance, if the plan contains details sensitivity of the data. For instance, if the plan contains details about a move to another state in Year 3 of the plan cycle, an employee might decide to leave the business.

Why Have Business Plan?

Stakeholders in the business want to know what lies ahead for the business. Investors have a vested interest in knowing as much about the business as they can. The plan should show investors when products will be released or a overhaul of a manufacturing when products will be released or a overhaul of a manufacturing plant. Everything from salary increases, market fluctuations, newly released legislation has an impact on the business.

The Small Business Plan

Use serious, professional language when writing the plan. Parts of the business plan may be used for loan, grant, or other applications. The format for the business plan should include the following items:items:BizQuoteIf you can’t Beat them,

Confuse them.

• Executive Summary -- Think of this as the information you would cover in a 5-minute interview about your business. Explain what you make, provide to customers. Describe the products. List the owners. Predict where you see the business and the industry.• Mission Statement -- Explain the company’s purpose in less than 30 words. than 30 words.• Overall Goals and Objectives -- Where will the business be in the future? How will you measure achievement of objectives?• Business Philosophy -- What is important to the business?• Target audience for products, services

With the preliminaries out of the way, the business plan moves to the products and services of the business. Include product specifications, graphics, sales brochures, and anything else that specifications, graphics, sales brochures, and anything else that relates to the product.

Include why the business has a competitive advantage or disadvantage over competitors. Is there anything unique about the product? What is the pricing fee structure?

The Marketing Plan

A subset of the small business plan is the marketing plan. You can have the best product in the work, but if no one knows about it...have the best product in the work, but if no one knows about it...what then? The business plan is a method of record keeping and of showing where the company’ future lies.

In the marketing plan section, list any research, such as industry profiles, demographic surveys, census data, and trade journals. Did you survey your customers to find whether a need existed for a product redesign? Did you hire a market research firm to poll the industry segment? Include relevant data in the marketing plan section of the business plan.

Also include, how you will market the business...pay-peAlso include, how you will market the business...pay-per-click advertising, newspaper and trade journal ads, or social media outlets, such as Twitter and Facebook.

Operational Plan

While looking to the future is essential, don’t forget to examine the day-to-day operating practices. Research the industry niche to make accurate predictions on operating costs. Will the company expand its product line?its product line? When?

Management and Organization

The business may start with one employee...you, but at some point you will want to hire administrative or other staff. List your plan for hiring staff. Will you hire a manager of operations or expand the technical staff first? When will any hiring take place?

Financial Plan

Keep records of all start up expenses. Starting a business is a costly Keep records of all start up expenses. Starting a business is a costly proposition. Unexpected expenses will crop up through out the start up process. A financial plan consists of:

• a profit and loss projection for a 12-month period• a 4-year profit and loss projection• a cash flow projection• a projected balance sheet• a break-even analysis

Add detailed information regarding all investors and owners with amounts contributed. Include all loans, grants, or liabilities that the amounts contributed. Include all loans, grants, or liabilities that the company has.

The Author:Jill Berry a.k.a. @MusingsfromMe is a writer who stays at home (SAHM). While playing a writer on the internet, Jill has the gray hair AND blogposts from raising a kid, a preteen, and a teen.

When not blogging at MusingsfromMe.com, Jill seizes family time whenever she can…dinner as a family, movie night, marathon game sessions, traveling…you name it she wants to do it. Jill is interested in reviewing products that fit her theme of “Seizing Family Time.” While by no means an expert on kids, parenting, or being a mom, Jill shares her expertise and knowledge on several national, regional, and hyperlocal sites, including Savvy regional, and hyperlocal sites, including Savvy

by Rochelle | DocStoc

Pinterest has skyrocketed to one of the most used social media sites in the world, with an average of 1.63 million visitors a day and an extremely high retention rate (users spend an an average of 16 minutes browsing at a time, which is higher than Facebook and Twitter’s averages combined). Pinterest users also represent a seller’s paradise; almost 30% of members come from household incomes above $100,000 per yeaincomes above $100,000 per year, and buyers that have been referred to a product through Pinterest at 10% more likely to buy products than when they arrive from other social networks, and will spend an average of 10% more.

Now before you pounce on the opportunity to push your business on Pinterest, understand this; unlike Facebook or Twitter, understand that Pinterest is a more specialized community than other social media sites, and requires a more thoughtful approach.other social media sites, and requires a more thoughtful approach.

Firstly, you must embrace the demographic. As many of you probably already know, Pinterest users are mostly women (68.2%), to be precise, and there is a predominance of DIY crafts, home and garden, fashion, inspirational quotes, recipes and other topics of greater interest to women. That being said, there a lot of other more gender neutral themes that flourish, including technology and gadgets, music, travel nostalgia, art, architecture, workout and gadgets, music, travel nostalgia, art, architecture, workout apparel and more. Pinterest is about creating visual scrapbooks,

Harness the Powerof Pinterest

sharing beautiful pictures or spreading ideas conveyed through images that move people.

That being said, certain businesses have flourished in the Pinterest community, such as Whole Foods, ModCloth, West Elm, and other companies that provide physical products that can be captured in an aesthetically appealing way. Have a look at their pages and see the categories and styles they go for; appealing, intimate and the categories and styles they go for; appealing, intimate and colorful images, that will catch people’s eye and encourage repins. The “pinning” aspect of Pinterest is indisputably an incredible channel for viral marketing because an image can be repinned 100 times but clicking it will still take the viewer to the original source (the webpage the product or image is linked to). The key is to share things that actually have viral potential.

Remember that Pinterest does not look kindly on direct marketing Remember that Pinterest does not look kindly on direct marketing and sales. Not only that, the Pinterest users won’t not have interest in repinning advertisements or product pushes. They are interested in beauty, ideas, whimsy and inspiration. You don’t need a pretty or girly product to share ideas on Pinterest, just be open-minded about how you engage users; develop creative pinboards that explore design ideas, color coordinated themes, gift ideas (some of which may be related to your product or service) etc. If you of which may be related to your product or service) etc. If you don’t sell a product, share images and stories of people your service has touched, or design ideas from your website. Just remember keep it personal

The Pinterest market is especially favorable for smaller businesses, who can add a personal, local or crafty element to their pins that will be more likely to resonate with users. Building followers comes organically, from posting great images and engaging others in the community; follow people, repin and comment on their images. Create group pinboards to share ideas and images with other users who are interested in a similar field.other users who are interested in a similar field.

Just remember, Pinterest is a place for people to aggregate, scrapbook and share their hopes and dreams. In order to encourage users to respond to, click or repin your images, they will need to connect with them visually and personally.

by Beth Comstock

Want a Creative Team?Make it Diverse!

Diversity is the crucial element for group creativity. Innovation teams tasked with creating new products or technologies or iterating existing ones need tension to produce breakthroughs, and tension comes from diverse points of view. This is the opposite of groupthink, the creativity-killing phenomenon of too much agreement and too similar perspectives that often paralyzes otherwise great teams.teams. We've all been on these teams. Everyone is just like us — say, marketers or engineers. Consensus comes quickly, and only later, when we fail and wonder why, do we realize that the easy agreements and shared conclusions doomed us from the start.

Assembling and managing diverse teams is hard work. That tension essential to creativity is tough to manage, requiring deft leadership. The manager must ensure that sometimes sharp disagreements are aired without degenerating into the kinds of arguments that paralyze teams.

How to get started? Take a stubborn challenge you're currently facing and set up an informal meeting with a harsh critic, someone facing and set up an informal meeting with a harsh critic, someone who often disagrees with your point of view.

Critics challenge assumptions and are usually very passionate. Invite them in; hear them out. You may be surprised by how much you learn, and also by how thinking about a problem from a different perspective can refresh and energize your own ideas. In the best case scenario, your harsh critic is now your teammate, and not incidentallnot incidentally, will own the particular issue you asked them about. Turning a critic into a passionate advocate and supporter is a great goal in innovation.

And sometimes the necessary diverse view is one that isn't way outside the norm: it can be right there in front of you. I remember working on an innovation project with a group of engineers. We had planned what we thought was the perfect ideation session, going to an art museum for inspiration, guided by the best going to an art museum for inspiration, guided by the best facilitators available and set to tackle a particularly meaty problem facing the team. But we were still too similar as a group. At the last minute, we invited a legal colleague, and it was his unexpected role that became pivotal in giving us the fresh perspective we needed to solve the problem.

Finally, integrating divergent views to boost creativity is a natural job for marketers. At GE, we talk about marketing's role being about uncovering customers' value and innovating to deliver it. Doing so is aided enormously by integrating diverse ideas on a single innovation team. The problems our customers face are often too complicated for any one approach — integrating diverse perspectives from within and even from outside the company are perspectives from within and even from outside the company are key to solving them with new breakthroughs.

This blog first appeared on Harvard Business Review on 05/11/2012.

10 Strategies for Start-Up SuccessJason Nazar, co-founder and CEO of Docstoc, has spent years building his company from a small start-up to a sustainable and profitable business. Watch him break down ten steps he's developed for starting, maintainingand growing an amazing business from the ground up. Listen to the ten greatest challenges entrepreneurs face, and how to master them:face, and how to master them:1. Ideas: The Entrepreneur's Dilemma2. Pitching to Investors3. Building a Team4. Getting Customers5. Free Marketing Tools6. Growing and Tracking Online Revenue7.7. Better Business Development8. Making Strategic Decisions9. Managing a Board10. Finding Balance

by Rochelle | DocStoc

Your Own Website, Easily!

Every business and brand needs a website, that goes without question. But where to begin? The choices can be downright overwhelming, especially if it’s your first time. Your best bet for your first website is to use an easy web building tool and either use a theme or (if you have the budget and the vision) hire a designer. Here are the best ways to go about it.

1. Get Started On1. Get Started On Your Own

To start off, many people will suggest you use WordPress because it’s best-known option for simple, free, single-page websites. To upgrade from the basic WordPress themes, you can browse sites like elegantthemes, which offer affordable WordPress designs that can class up your webpage significantly. If WordPress isn’t for you, you can explore Tumblr or Blogger, which have a similar, one-page/tabbed layout toone-page/tabbed layout to WordPress.

There are several other popular options for simple and customizablewebsites with their own perks; Yola offers over 100 templates that are easy to fill out, and also allows paid users to integrate PayPal, Google Maps, Flickr and other useful 3rd party services. Jimdo is another good option, although monthly subscribers unlock the best templates and tools, which very clearly guide you through how to build your own page (a good option if you want to divebuild your own page (a good option if you want to diverge from the same ‘ol templates).

photo courtesy of Josh Flagg

For a more edgy look, you can opt for services like Wix, which provide simple and easy Flash templates to create an attractive webpage for free (just remember that you may alienate some users who don’t have Adobe Flash).

For the more tech savvy of you, there are services like Google Sites, which is free but requires a decent knowledge of coding.

2. Hiring a Designer or Developer2. Hiring a Designer or Developer

If you really want to make sure your site is original, you can hire a designer/developer to create your website on Elance, which has hundreds of thousands of Web developers and graphic designers willing to work on one-off projects. The best way to do this quickly and on a budget, is to find a website that you like (the basic framework/elements of it), and have the developer build out from that basic structure.that basic structure. You can also get creative with a site like 99designs, where you can set up a contest for designers to compete to create the design of your website (and you can guide them along the way) and the winner is paid your “prize” money.

These options are best if you have a pretty clear idea of the style and layout you want for your website; if not, I’d highly suggest sticking to the themes and customizable pages offered by WWordPress, Yola and the others above.

Some Resources:http://www.docstoc.com/article/81266909/website-templates-vs-custom-developmenthttp://www.docstoc.com/video/92765013/building-your-small-business-website-web-design

photo courtesy of Josh Flagg

Planning Your Exit Strategy

Even when a business is just in the planning stages, thinking about an exit strategy is essential. An exit strategy allows a business owner to move on to other ventures, to capitalize on monetary success, and to protect against unforeseen events. Without a clearly defined exit strategy, many investors may hesitate.

Determine the Length of Your Involvement Determine the Length ofof Your Involvement

The first step in figuring out your exit strategy is to determine how long you want to stick with a particular venture. If, for instance, you’re planning for a short-term exit strategy, there are certain regulations that need to be followed. If you’re planning to exit when you retire, there are other issues to think about, such as training a successor.

Here are a few examples for each length of time.Here are a few examples for each length of time.

Short-Term Exit Strategies

• Go IPO- Allowing public ownership of the company is a common short term exit strategy. However, there’s a significant amount of risk involved, related to the general health of the economy, timing, and sheer luck.• Sell the company- This means that you outright sell to another businessperson or entity. In this case, you usually have the option of taking cash or equity in the new company.• Merge/Be acquired- In either a merger or acquisition, the talent is usually expected to stay for at least a certain period. This means that you may not be able to leave right away. However, the financial rewards can make this worth the while of the seller.

Long-Term Exit Strategies

•• Shut down the company-Some businesses may naturally run their course. In those cases, it’s important to start paying off bonuses and debt early. Then, you can just liquidate any remaining assets when it comes time to close.• Sell equity-If you’re in a partnership, you can simply sell your stake to an existing partner or to a new partner.• Pass the company to a successor- If you plan to leave your company when you retire, you may be considering passing the company to a relative or close friend. If so, it’s important to give them plenty of advance warning, and make sure they’re committed to that plan.

Get the Right People Involved

Transferring your company to new hands can be an expensive, drawn out process. As a result, it’s important to have the right legal, financial, tax and business advisors in place.

Ask fellow entrepreneurs or trusted advisors for recommendations. You need to find a team of advisors that are both knowledgeable and discreet. Remembeand discreet. Remember, early leaks can scare off potential investors, employees, and vendors.

Keep Your Finances Clean Keep Your Finances Clean

Whether you’re aiming for a short-term or long-term exit plan, it’s essential that your finances are 100% in order as you near your exit. You need to make an honest assessment not only of existing assets, but of accounts receivable and of market potential.

Also, if thereAlso, if there’s any questionable activity with executive expenses and/or compensation, you may find the company will suddenly be exposed to legal and financial scrutiny that may scare off potential buyers/investors.

Check Your ContractsWhether you’re selling the company, merging with another, or passing the company to a family member, the receiver will expend a certain amount of business continuita certain amount of business continuity. This means that contracts

with employees, vendors and real estate agents need to be up-to-date, and preferably locked-in for some time.

The entity that’s taking over your company is rarely doing it just for the company name. They want the expertise of your employees, and the quality of your vendors. Talk to your employees, and give them incentives to stay.

by Damian Papworth

The Attitude Of Investing - Do You Have What It Takes?

People who have an attitude, for whatever reason, which leads to them making investment decisions based on unrelated or irrelevant information, rarely develop long term profitable investment strategies. So, we'd posturise that creating the "investment attitude" or mindset, is one of the most important things you can do, before you start down the road of investing for your income. The following are a few pointers which can help you with this.are a few pointers which can help you with this.

Never invest money you need to pay for your living expenses. Even if you don't need this money this month, next month, but you know you'll need it in 3 months, don't invest it. If you put money on any investment market that you need to pay for your living expenses, at some stage you will need to make a decision about that investment, due to your living expense commitments.

For example, Lets say you need that money in 3 months to pay a mortgage repayment. Your investment may temporarily drop on the very week you need the money. In this situation, the correct decision, based on your strategy, could be to hold for another week. But because you have the mortgage, you make the decision to close the investment. This decision was made on information which was irrelevant to the investment, and ended up ruining the trade and cirrelevant to the investment, and ended up ruining the trade and causing a loss. This issue would never exist if you only invested money you didn't need.

When you invest your money, it may help you to imagine that that money is completey lost as soon as you invest it. Quite often investments look like they are going bad before they turn around. It just happens as part of the typical fluctuations of any investment market. Many a good investment has been turned into a bad one by market. Many a good investment has been turned into a bad one by people (me included) who get scared and close a trade, instead of giving it the time to complete successfully. If you convince yourself the money is gone when you invest it, its much easier to avoid getting the jitters during these times. (And let me tell you, there is nothing worse than closing a trade early for a loss, only to watch it turn around and become successful, if only you had let it run its course.)course.)

Failed trades are a simple fact of life with every investor. You will make trades that lose you money. Your attitude to losing trades is extremely important. You will never end up a successful long term investor if you have the wrong attitude to making losses. Here are 2 great ways to view an trade which is not successful.

1. Don't look at trades individually, rather look at your trades as a group object. For example, you may have a strategy that works 4 out of 5 trades, but one out of 5 trades on average makes a loss. What you need to do is tally your net profit over all 5 trades, including the loss, and divide this by 5. The result is your profit per trade. If you do this, you can actually view your losing trades as a profit earneprofit earner. Ie. You attribute 20% of your 5 trade net result to the unsuccessful trade, simply because it is a crucial part of a successful strategy.

This way you will be encouraged to continue trading your successful strategy, rather than get discouraged when one trade goes wrong, or second guess your trades because you are scared the next one may be the losing one. Our Stock Trading Strategy is a stratehy which works extremely well when this type of attitude is applied to it.works extremely well when this type of attitude is applied to it.

2. View your losses as education expenses. Most professionals in the finance industries have spent years and tens of thousands of dollars, in universities and educational facilities, learning to ply their trade. Unsuccessful trades are a professional investors "university", but you have to make sure you analyse these trades and learn from them. Do this in a professional and unemotional manner, otherwise you may fail to make the grade, which will mean you miss out on may fail to make the grade, which will mean you miss out on making long term money through investing.

One of the foreign exchange professionals, whose strategy I spent some time analysing, actually suggested a successful investor should expect to lose the same amount as a University Degree in trading losses, before they are savvy enough to make long term money in the

markets Thank goodness I found our Foreign Exchange Trading Strategy which will protect you from such losses if you follow the system properly, but I really appreciate his sentiment. You are learning a skill, a trade a profession. You know trading losses will occur. So isn't this a great attitude to have toward them.

The investment markets, any of them, can bring out the best and worst of your emotions. Its ultra imprtant to get these under control worst of your emotions. Its ultra imprtant to get these under control so they don't impact your investment decisions. Remember, Plan the tradeFind Article, and trade the plan.

Good Luck!

About The Author, Damian Papworth

Damian Papworth, B.Ec. A.S.I.A. is the owner and editor of the only wealth creation website that promises you every strategy listed on it, is being actively used successfully by the team today TheOnlyWay.com.au

by Remo Aver

Shaun Olarte embodies the passionate technopreneur. Though he admits that his company, Web Solutions, Inc. (WSI), was founded by accident, he now believes that this has carved his place in the technology business sphere.

He narrates, “Back in college, we needed a website for our school oorganization which I started. I made some research online on how to make a website. I was amazed on the platforms that were available to create a website. Then began my passion for web platforms. I started to find friends who knew how to do the technical coding of websites and I started to offer our services to clients. When we first closed our web development deal right after college, then I immediately decided to save money and make it a corporation.”corporation.”

When WSI formally launched in 2006, funding was a struggle.

Shaun OlarteFrom Executive toEntrepreneur

But more than that, finding the right talent for a project was even harder. Another struggle was finding people willing to do projects on limited budgets.

“I only hired contractual and project based consultants. I managed everything and everyone at the same time,” revealed Shaun of his early struggles.

As his early projects were not enough to sustain his needs, Shaun As his early projects were not enough to sustain his needs, Shaun had to shuffle his time between a day job and his then budding enterprise. His past employment IT companies allowed him to further hone his IT skills as he was really a non-techie. One particular job, introduced him to e-commerce. This brought him closer to what his passion was pushing him to – manage his business full-time.

Shaun narrated that, “I needed to learn from my job as an employee Shaun narrated that, “I needed to learn from my job as an employee and sharing what I know from the companies I have worked with. From the very start, I knew what I wanted and planned it out – a technopreneur.”

When Shaun finally went solo, he re-focused Web Solutions, Inc. into a company helping enterprises build their sites on an e-commerce platform that he himself assembled. With support from his team of developers and designers,his team of developers and designers, WSI is able create sites that incorporate Web 2.0 and social networking concepts.

This, he says, is important as “We understand that communication and conversation is the key to a website’s success. The result is a website which is highly business oriented, functionally flawless and

with the most apt Call to Action buttons for instant decision making – both for the potential customers and partners.”

Web Solutions, Inc. is now offering out-of-the box web platforms and software-on-demand solutions such as online email marketing. They are also increasing their services in e-commerce platforms such as the popular group deal platforms.

Understanding that essential to a companyUnderstanding that essential to a company’s readiness to embrace e-commerce is the presence of a secure trading environment online, Shaun says, “We are exploring on how we can offer a payment gateway solution for companies in a more secure environment at a lower cost than current solutions in the Philippines.”

Shaun admits that he is leaving his dream. “I simply love what I do. I spend 16 to 20 hours browsing the net doing research and learning new technologies and adapting them to my business. My learning new technologies and adapting them to my business. My world is practically online,” he relates.Today, despite being swamped by projects, he still finds time to bond with his pet German Shepherd, Yana. She somehow keeps his world balanced and reminds him of the real world.

Shaun advises would-be technopreneurs to find their passion and make a business out of it.

He adds, “Never stop learning and looking for opportunities.He adds, “Never stop learning and looking for opportunities. Web technologies constantly change. Keep yourself updated on new trends and technologies. There is not much financial capital needed to start a web based business, your capital will be on how much

you know and what technology you use. Whoever, executes it best at the right time will succeed.”

WSI, just like its founder, is truly built on passion. One will always hear Shaun remind a colleague: “Never give up on doing what you love. “ He never did.