Struggling Entreprenuer

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In this episode of The Struggling Entrepreneur, we take a look at an individual who has NEVER held a day job with either a public sector, private sector or non-profit organization. Always his own boss, Ben Littlefield has had nothing but entrepreneurial experiences all his life and for all the lessons he had learned.

As a matter of fact, one of the key humbling experiences was realizing that he may not have known what to do from a planning standpoint. Thus, Ben went back to school to learn the academic and case-study arena of business. And, after getting his MBA, he now pursued his career in starting his own businesses with great enegy.His latest firm is called Three-Sixty Solutions athttp://www.threesixtysolutions.comBen is in the interactive media and marketing space, and he delivers value to entrepreneurs and startup firms by helping them understand what the social media, new media, Web 2.0 and other tools are on the Internet–and how the client’s firm can leverage these tools to grow the business, increase revenue, and maximize presence on the Internet.

For example, many entrepreneurs are still trying to grasp the best way to leverage their web sites, blogs and media for SEO (Search Engine Optimization).With a successful business model–reinforced with both experience in the past and mentors from his academic learning–Ben Littlefield is growing his business by providing this value to the other Small Business Owners.

Copyright (c) 2009, Matrix Solutions Corporation. All rights reserved.

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[display_podcast]In this episode of The Struggling Entrepreneur, we take a look at an individual who has NEVER held a day job with either a public sector, private sector or non-profit organization. Always his own boss, Ben Littlefield has had nothing but entrepreneurial experiences all his life and for all the lessons he had learned.As a matter of fact, one of the key humbling experiences was realizing that he may not have known what to do from a planning standpoint. Thus, Ben went back to school to learn the academic and case-study arena of business. And, after getting his MBA, he now pursued his career in starting his own businesses with great enegy.His latest firm is called Three-Sixty Solutions athttp://www.threesixtysolutions.comBen is in the interactive media and marketing space, and he delivers value to entrepreneurs and startup firms by helping them understand what the social media, new media, Web 2.0 and other tools are on the Internet–and how the client’s firm can leverage these tools to grow the business, increase revenue, and maximize presence on the Internet.For example, many entrepreneurs are still trying to grasp the best way to leverage their web sites, blogs and media for SEO (Search Engine Optimization).With a successful business model–reinforced with both experience in the past and mentors from his academic learning–Ben Littlefield is growing his business by providing this value to the other Small Business Owners.Copyright (c) 2009, Matrix Solutions Corporation. All rights reserved.

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In this episode of The Struggling Entrepreneur, we describe  the event called FreelanceCamp, as well as its value to the Entrepreneur who may want to be a Free Agent or Freelancer — or the Solo-preneur.

The second meeting of this type of unconference called FreelanceCamp took place on January 31, 2009, in San Antonio, Texas.

During that session, we interviewed Craig McCasland of www.obeo.com. Craig came with interest to this unconference, as he had never been to one before. His business is in need of rebranding, and his open mind came with questions about social media and how to use it for his business and his customers. And as you will discover from this audio episode, Craig left with a pleasant surprise.

Listen to Craig’s perspective about the value that a FreelanceCamp can deliver to an entrepreneur.

And, by the way, like most unconferences (i.e., bar-camp or Podcamp), the cost is right–admission and participation is free, either for attending or presenting. The important thing is a mutual sharing of information and a mutual assistance of one another to help others launch their new ventures and become successful Freelancers or solo-preneurs.

Copyright (c) 2009, Matrix Solutions Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

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In this episode of The Struggling Entrepreneur, we examine a success story of a Freelancer who went “from-zero-to-hero” within 2 years and is making a 6-figure income from her entrepreneurial startups, including Success in Sweatpants.

As you will hear in the audio episode, Trish Lambert  has spent many years in corporate America delivering high perfomance, but feeling unappreciated and unrewarded. Thus, she started her own firm and took the leap of faith to become a Solo-preneur or a Freelancer (or, as we interchangeably mention in the podcast, a Free Agent).

Trish has applied her previous education and background to this relatively new venture, which is called 4rMarketing:

However, her passion is really to provide the services as a coach for others. Because she now enjoys the lifestyle of working from her home and delivering these services to her clients in very, very casual attire (e.g., sweat pants and sweat shirts), she appropriately named her newest venture Success in Sweatpants.
We know that you will enjoy the energy, dynamism and humor that is part of Trish Lambert’s soul. What is very interesting is her perspective of entering the world of the entrepreneurial venture–especially because when she launched her business, she did so having recently moved into a new metropolitan area and knew absolutely no one.

A bold move?

Absolutely. But with the determination and character that marks the successful entrepreneur, Trish is now a role model for others that want to be on their own.

Copyright (c) 2009, Matrix Solutions Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

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In this bonus episode of the Struggling Entrepreneur, we deliver the second part of a 3-part series. We recently had the opportunity to attend several presentations at the Austin Social Media Club. The theme centered around hints, tips and recommendations on how to record and shoot SOCIAL VIDEO.

With the rising interest and drive to understand how to leverage social media for your small business, the entrepreneur may be inclined to use video in the marketing mix for promoting the business. And thus, the following 3 individuals shared their time to deliver recommendations based on their experiences in social media–especially in the creation of video content.

The 3 presenters were:

Tom Stagg is the manager of Interactive Media at the American Cancer Society and the presenter for this audio episode). The later episodes will have also the presentations from Storme Wood and Giovanni Gallucci.

This episode deals with the emphasis on basic tips for shooting Social Video, including the stability of the camera and the types of equipment. Storme Wood discusses several hints for recording the video that can help improve the quality of the viewing.

In addition, Storme Wood also delivers some recommendations for conducting video interviews.

All of this makes for an interesting session, as an entrepreneur can see what the investment, focus, preparation and value of video can be to the business–but it has to be done the right way for both content and quality.

We hope that you enjoy these 3 bonus episodes, as we continue to explore the theme of leveraging social media for your own business.

Copyright (c) 2009, Matrix Solutions Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

[display_podcast]

In this bonus episode of the Struggling Entrepreneur, we deliver the second part of a 3-part series. We recently had the opportunity to attend several presentations at the Austin Social Media Club. The theme centered around hints, tips and recommendations on how to record and shoot SOCIAL VIDEO.

With the rising interest and drive to understand how to leverage social media for your small business, the entrepreneur may be inclined to use video in the marketing mix for promoting the business. And thus, the following 3 individuals shared their time to deliver recommendations based on their experiences in social media–especially in the creation of video content.

The 3 presenters were:

Tom Stagg is the manager of Interactive Media at the American Cancer Society and the presenter for this audio episode). The later episodes will have also the presentations from Storme Wood and Giovanni Gallucci.

This episode deals with the emphasis on CONTENT more than the tech in recording video, and the discussion is led by Gioavanni Galluci of www.viewzi.com.

However, after his presentation, we also captured the question-answer session from the audience members and the team of video specialists. All of this makes for an interesting session, as an entrepreneur can see what the investment, focus, preparation and value of video can be to the business–but it has to be done the right way for both content and quality.

We hope that you enjoy these 3 bonus episodes, as we continue to explore the theme of leveraging social media for your own business.

The final episode will be a brief one with hints and tips for both shooting video and doing interviews on video–and the discussion will be led by Storme Wood.

Copyright (c) 2009, Matrix Solutions Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download