Struggling Entrepreneur

 

 72- IT Consultant and Author to Entrepreneur- Anil Desai [51:22m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this episode of The Struggling Entrepreneur, we take a closer look into the transition from being a technical specialist in the IT (Information Technology) industry to becoming a successful Entrepreneur from the background and point of view of Anil Desai.

Even if you are not an IT Specialist, but perhaps you are in a field that requires technical skills or in an area of complex products or problem-solving, this interview will be of value to you for its related scenarios.

As you may remember, we had received permission from CS Techcast to publish an 11-minute overview interview with Anil Desai in our earlier episode 67.

However, in this episode, we take a detailed look at the preparation, planning and move from a full-time IT specialist in a day-job to becoming a full-time Entrepreneur. Also, you will hear the 3 bullets of success that Anil Desai gives us from his experience–and you will be surprised that super-technical skills are not the main keys to this future.

Anil shares with us the obstacles he encountered, as well as how he himself tackles the administrative responsibilities of running his own business–including income taxes and other back-office tasks that many structured IT specialists dread.

Anil also discusses how his skills in communication–especially in technical writing–have added to the success of creating himself as a known Brand. In addition, Anil is also an author of several books and a speaker, as well as a consultant that delivers the right solutions to the customers to solve business problems. He will tell you in this episode about his multiple certifications and the technical skills that he keeps current–but at very little or no cost!

However, Anil also shares with us his creative background–as a part-time musician and fictional writer.

We do apologize for the ambient noise that suddenly sprung in the background as we started the interview (it had been relatively quiet in the comfortable dining area until the lunch crowd suddenly appeared). But the noise did die down toward the second part of the interview.

Copyright (c) 2008, Matrix Solutions Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

 

 71- Social Entrepreneur- Andy Fluke of the NCDD [20:17m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this episode of The Struggling Entrepreneur, we interview Andy Fluke, one of the founders of the NCDD (National Coalition of Dialog and Deliberation).

Andy has progressed from a full-time day-job to the point where the organization that he is working with now (the NCDD) has become his “passion” and is now consuming him in a full-time role. Andy, thus, has been able to migrate from a full-time day-job to a full-time role as an Entrepreneur in running a business–but it is a business that is really a non-profit organization. Thus, Andy considers himself to be a SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR.

In this episode you will hear how Andy has obtained funding to operate the organization through grants from Philantropic organizations. Also, Andy has provided value for his community via the vehicle of establishing a schedule of conferences (and thus, fund and run the business).

Although this Business Model is one route that few people may eventually take, it does fulfill Andy’s dream for the subject of which he is passionate, while allowing him to use his past experience to run a business (which is now going to be a non-profit entity).

Copyright (c) 2008, Matrix Solutions Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

 

 70- Chris Heuer, founder of the Social Media Club Chapters [1:01:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this episode of The Struggling Entrepreneur, we bring a detailed account of entrepreneurial success from someone who is using a different business model to reach his objectives.

Chris Heuer had the technical background and expertise, as well as experience in managing both Technical Businesses in the Private Sector and the Public Sector (e.g., the US Mint). However, he chose to pursue a passion of his — Social Media and communication.

By creating the foundation of the Social Media Club chapters and developing this idea into a growing fever of new chapters springing up in the US and overseas, Chris Heuer has seen his revenue model come from his expertise in delivering value to Enterprises to form their social media strategies, while working on the promotion of the chapters.

This new business model of funding the business via customer engagements while promoting the passion is a success story that can serve as an interesting case study for us today.

This interview was recorded inbetween sessions at a conference in which Chris was presenting (the NCDD, the National Coalition of Dialogue and Deliberation).

Chis has a web site of http://www.chrisheuer.com.

Copyright (c) 2008, Matrix Solutions Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

 

 69- Dave Evans, author of SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING- An hour a Day [54:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this episode of The Struggling Entrepreneur, we are very honored to present an interview with Dave Evans, the author of the new book titled Social Media Marketing - an Hour a Day (Wiley, 2008). This book was just released last month and it is available at your bookstores like Amazon.com.

As you will hear in this audio podcast, Dave Evans  goes into his very technical background to explain how the desire to control his lifestyle and spend more time with his family led him to fulfill his desire to be on his own as a small business owner and a successful entrepreneur–first as a consultant, and now as a thought leader, subject matter expert and author in the area of Social Media Marketing.

Dave has a rich background with varied experience in the area of business and social media consulting. His clients range among some of the biggest enterprises and organizations in the world.

Dave’s latest endeavor is to help the business enterprise and the entrepreneur or small business owner to understand what social media marketing is and how to create a strategy, develop a plan and execute a successful Social Media implementation in the business. Dave’s desire is to help the entrepreneurs with a “practical step-by-step guide … to expand their skills and tap the Social Web the right way.”

You can also get more detailed information about the book, as well as video conversations by Dave at the web site of:

http://www.readthis.com.

Copyright (c) 2008, Matrix Solutions Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

 

 68A- Social Networks for Entrepreneurs- a blogpost from www.blogtrepreneur.com [11:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this episode of The Struggling Entrepreneur, we bring you the news of a post in the blog at www.blogtrepreneur.com. I was made aware of this by Dave Jackson (who is “your personal podcast coach” at the School of Podcasting) which was in one of his podcasts called Weekly Web Tools.

This post had to do with the 10 Social Networks for Entrepreneurs. It is at:

http://www.blogtrepreneur.com/2008/05/13/10-social-networks-for-entrepreneurs/

This blog post covers the top ten social networks (from the author’s point of view–from LinkedIn to Xing, and 8 more inbetween.

Although the post in the blog is from May of 2008, it is still a good starting place for us to look at the Social Networks and the Social Media Niche Networks every six months. As you will hear in the episode, we plan to get authority figures and thought leaders in the world of Social Media Marketing (such as Dave Evans, who is the subject of the interview in episode 69 of The Struggling Entrepreneur podcast series and is the author of the book Social Media Marketing- An Hour a Day)–and we plan to compare, contrast and review the social media networks that would be of value to the entrepreneur.

Also included in this audio episode is the related post to this article on the same blog, which is called “5 Alternatives to Social Media Marketing” (which is at

http://www.blogtrepreneur.com/2008/06/10/5-alternatives-to-social-media-marketing/.

We look forward to our next bonus episode of The Struggling Entrepreneur that will update you in December on the Social Networks and Social Media Niche Networks for the entrepreneur. This is one of the ways we can bring value to you, especially with the popular topic of Social Media Marketing for the Small Business and Entrepreneur.

Copyright (c) 2008, Matrix Solutions Corporation. All Rights Reserved.