Category: Entrepreneurship

Introducing The Entrepreneur Behind The Cover Of The March 2021 Issue Of MoneyCentral Magazine: Justin Wang

Posted on by Jenny

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Justin Wang is the CEO of PIA (Property Investors Alliance). He is the embodiment of the self-made businessperson. From unassuming beginnings to life as a property magnate – he now personifies the paradigm for financial freedom. MoneyCentral Magazine recently caught up with Justin to discuss multiculturalism in the industry and here’s what went down:

Please Share With Us What Multiculturalism Means to You.

I came to Australia back in 1993 as a young, Chinese, Mandarin teacher. Luckily, the Australian Government heavily promotes multiculturalism in Australia and even encourages students to learn other languages. That’s why I was able to come to Australia, if the government of Australia wasn’t firm advocates of multiculturalism then there’s no chance I’d be able to go to this beautiful country. Because of my background of being Chinese, most of my staff, in the beginning, were also Chinese. But eventually, as the years went by, we expanded and opened our doors to various communities and people from different backgrounds. So now, PIA is made up of people from various backgrounds because embracing multiculturalism is important to me and my company.

Is there a way to help potential clients better understand why buying properties is a must in life?

Based on my personal experience, buying Sydney residential property is definitely the key to financial freedom. That said, making people understand the importance of our concept is a case-by-case basis because every single person has a different background and way of thinking. For example, with Chinese people, we usually follow a long-term wealth creation plan. So if you want to convince a Chinese person about getting into a long-term investment to accumulate wealth for their retirement – the key is to make them understand that buying a property is the best way to help secure the future of the next generation. That said, if you try to convince a young athlete to buy a property, for example, they won’t care too much about looking out for the next generation – they would care more about establishing their own retirement. So you really need to be flexible when it comes to convincing potential clients hailing from different backgrounds.

In your opinion, what is the most challenging aspect of working in a Multicultural Environment?

The real challenge is dealing with people of various backgrounds. Each person has their own set of cultures and traditions so the biggest challenge is making sure our message gets across despite everyone’s different nationalities. We always try our best, even though it can be quite challenging.

What Is Your Approach to Understanding the Perspectives of Clients From Different Backgrounds?

Getting your message across to people of various backgrounds may be very challenging, but I believe that the main recipe for getting your message across is “love.” It doesn’t matter what your background or nationality is, if you put yourself out there and love other people then other people will be able to genuinely feel it. Hence, I believe love is everything.

What are you doing to make sure people from different backgrounds are welcome in PIA?

Most of my staff in PIA are Chinese so I always brief them to be very sensitive when it comes to dealing with other people especially if they come from a different background to avoid any misunderstanding. I always tell them to smile and be friendly so that everyone feels welcomed in the PIA office. So far we’ve done very well because 50% of staff now are from other backgrounds while initially, it was 100% Chinese.

What are your thoughts on how the world will be different after COVID-19, and how are you moving to address that new world?

We all know that Covid-19 caused a massive disaster in the economy. But I’ve always believed that crisis actually creates opportunity. I believe this Covid-19 pandemic has woken a lot of people. When I say it has woken up other people, here’s an example: Back then when you ask someone to buy and accumulate assets to secure their financial security – they would’ve probably said no because they had a job or business so they had income coming through. Now when you talk about it in this day and age due to the effects of the pandemic, it has become important to accumulate assets as soon as possible since job or business security is not guaranteed. For example, as a real estate agent, you have to set up an office, pay for setting up the business, etc.. nowadays you can just work as a freelancer, using your car and laptop – since PIA is now online, anyone can run their business using just a laptop.

What is the greatest challenge that lies ahead for 2021?

2020 has definitely been tough for all businesses and various sectors. I believe the greatest challenge is figuring out how a business can survive or even grow in these tough times.

What opportunities do you see for 2021?

More and more people are more interested to buy in Sydney residential property despite the current situation. The traditional real estate business model is under threat so, this is a good opportunity for PIA to take over because we have a very cost-efficient model. From PIA’s current model, we are starting to create a new platform – Property Agency Alliance, to attract and empower stuggling agents to continually run their business.

5 Surefire Ways To Determine If Your New Business Idea Will Rock The Market

Posted on by mikeadmin

When planning a startup, every entrepreneur wants to make sure his/her business idea becomes profitable. This is to make sure your investment is paid off and your effort is worthy of your time. Choosing a business can be a tough one because of the risks you need to consider. For a new entrepreneur, these precautionary measures can help you decide about the first things you need to do before entering the world of business.

Choose a business based on your strength and personal interest.

Venturing into a totally unknown business is a very big challenge. Choosing a product or service near your personal interest will actually help you gain knowledge on how it works and how most people are likely to use them. You can visualize the satisfaction of your upcoming customers by comparing it to your personal experience as well. This way, you can determine the pros and cons of using the product personally.

Map out the areas of high demand

Products from each area vary depending on the need of the consumers. You need to check if the chosen location where you want to put up a business has potential customers and competitors. Figure out the number of similar businesses in that area and verify the estimated household expenditures who may purchase your chosen product or services. You got the ideal location if the area has a high demand but has little competition.

Know your competition

Analyzing the uniqueness of your product will help you beat the competition. This is one of the most crucial parts for start-ups so it’s vital that you include it in your to-do list. Make sure the value of your product separates itself from other competition. You can evaluate the reviews done by the consumers to check their reputation, to determine if the price matches the quality of the product, and customer experience. This will help you analyze how to please your potential customers and provide their unserved needs.

Check the trends of your chosen product or service and match it with the condition of the industry

Many market research firms can help you assess the market condition based on the selected products and services you want to sell. Having a detailed report helps you get an idea if your business will stay strong not just because it is trending in the industry but because most people need your service. Keeping a longer length of stay in the industry is very important to make sure your business is untouchable no matter how many trends come and go.

Ensure the sustainability of your business model

Make sure you can meet the demand and supply of the product which are the discrete requirements of any business. A thorough pre-analysis which includes collecting information about the price proposal or cost structures, scalability of the product, and revenue models will define your business success rate. On top of these measurements, make sure you have a backup resolution in case a problem persists.

Considering these factors before starting your business will help you prevent failure in the future. These tips are very important if you are aspiring to be one of the most successful entrepreneurs in your chosen field of industry.

Fear of Rejection: How to Effectively Overcome It As An Entrepreneur

Posted on by Gary

As an entrepreneur you are going to run into rejection, it’s inevitable. You might turn in a proposal that gets denied or try to sell your services and get denied. Either way, it’s important to remember your goals and keep pushing towards them. Don’t let a simple no stop you from achieving your goals. Some of the most successful people have been denied multiple times before reaching their spotlight. Just keep that in mind on this journey of entrepreneurship.

Never take it personally. Most rejections are based on the well-being of the other company. If you get rejected it’s simply because they don’t think it’s a good fit. It’s not because you suck and your company sucks. It’s literally just business. Let business be business, and don’t take it to your heart. Don’t let it affect your motivation, or ability to market yourself.

You should use rejection as a tool to figure out what your next step is or even how you could present yourself better next time. Take it as a learning opportunity and figure out what needs to change in order to land that next deal. Your goal is to be successful and grow your company, so use rejection as a tool to guide you in a better direction. Just because one person denied you doesn’t mean there’s not someone else out there that has been looking for someone just like you.

Never be afraid of rejection. Rejection is part of the growth process, and without it, you wouldn’t know where to begin, or even where you should go next. You should never fear being denied because a denial is all it is. It doesn’t affect you negatively to be rejected. If anything, you and the person that denied you are the only ones that are even aware of the rejection. You don’t have to showcase how many rejections it took until you succeeded. Just remember that each rejection leads to another possible deal. Don’t hesitate to put yourself out there in fear of being rejected. Just live for the moment and if you get denied then that’s all that has happened is you got denied. You are still an entrepreneur and you are still striving.

Another thing is don’t give your hopes up to soon. Just keep in mind that rejection is inevitable, and it’s bound to happen to you at some point while venturing as an entrepreneur. Stop hesitating to put yourself out there, because, in the end, it will be nothing but beneficial. You can’t land deals, without putting yourself out there. Regardless of rejection, you are still an entrepreneur and you still need to get your services out there. You can’t wait around and expect something to come to you because that is not realistic. Like I said, rejection is bound to happen on your journey, just don’t let it stop you from marketing your services or company. Use it as a tool to succeed.

5 Professional Skills You Need To Master In 2021 For Professional Growth

Posted on by Alex

Knowing how to grow in your professional life might seem daunting. Not many people know that all the tools they need to do this are already in their possession. Each person has the potential to succeed professionally, but only a few do. Make 2021 your year for professional growth by mastering our top 5 skills listed below.

  1. Motivation

The simplest, yet most effective skill you need to develop is self-motivation. When you’re motivated, you show up and do your work. Motivation can initiate, guide, and help you maintain goals. To be motivated in your profession, you need to have a personal drive to achieve work-related goals. Staying committed to this desire, being ready to act upon it, and being optimistic that you will reach it even when some rocks are thrown in your road, is the key factors to staying motivated.

  1. Flexibility

When you’re flexible, you’re valuable. No matter where you are professionally, challenges and obstacles are bound to show up on your doorstep. Even when your career is rigid, unpredictable events can come knocking any day. You should always be able to adapt and adjust easily without compromising the quality of your work if professional growth is what you’re looking to achieve.

  1. Initiative

Don’t ever sit around during work hours doing nothing. When you have nothing to do, find something to do! Being proactive and taking initiative will have a great impact on your professional growth. When it comes to your career, taking initiative can mean more than asking for extra work. Doing more than what is expected from you and identifying future problems and working on solving them is a great step in the right direction, but you can also grow this skill by working on your career plan, your confidence, requesting feedback on work already done or sharing ideas for improvement.

  1. Time Management

One of the best skills to develop is time-management. Successful careers require effective management. Knowing how to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines can push you further than you might think. Effective time-management also includes setting time aside for breaks. Relaxing every now and then will give you a much needed-boost and prevent you from getting stressed out which will be detrimental to your growth.

  1. Leadership

Never make the mistake of thinking that leadership skills should be reserved for senior-ranking professionals. Leadership includes the ability to inspire others and everyone should be able to do this if their end-goal is success. Whether you have leadership in the form of patience, empathy, and being a good listener or are able to take risks and make decisions, developing the skill unique to you can improve your professional growth drastically.

Expanding your skillset can never backfire. Whether you use these skills for professional growth or in your personal life, being able to adjust, show leadership in asking situations, stay motivated and take initiative all while making the best use of what time you have, is what will make you stand out amongst the rest.

5 Reasons Why the Right Location Can Make or Break Your Business

Posted on by Alex

When planning to start a new business, one of the first things to consider is where to launch it. Location, after all, is one of ‘The 5 Critical Elements to Make Your Business a Smashing Success’ — and for good reason. It can very well spell the difference between success or failure, and here are five considerations to show you why:

Access to the Right Talent

The geographic location of any company is important in attracting and retaining the right workforce for your business. For instance, it was a driving factor for Jeff Bezos to locate his second Amazon headquarters in Northern Virginia. The region was revealed to have the largest concentration of STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) workers in the country, and ranked as the top state for education, alongside Massachusetts. So, when deciding on your own business location, do some research on the current and future trends in the employment landscape in the area, and see how it can benefit your specific industry.

Business Requirements and Regulations

In choosing a business location, you’ll have to compare different state requirements and regulations, and determine which one would be the most favorable for your business. For instance, states like New Mexico, Delaware, and Wyoming don’t require new LLCs to submit the names of their members upon registration, which means they can be very good choices for those who want a little more privacy. Other states, meanwhile, can have extra requirements when registering. Case in point: The New York LLC publication requirement means that new businesses must publish a copy of their articles of organization in two separate newspapers within 120 days of registering. Although very much doable, it’s an extra cost that entrepreneurs must account for in the early days.

In terms of tax laws, Wyoming and South Dakota are the most tax-friendly states for businesses, as they have no individual income tax, corporate income tax, and gross receipts tax. Meanwhile, New Jersey is the worst state in terms of taxes, with the highest individual income tax rate in the country, along with high corporate, sales, and property taxes.

Cost of Living and Doing Business

A huge factor in choosing the right business location is its affordability. Real estate costs are the second largest expense for businesses, right after labor costs. Cities like New York and San Francisco are known for their expensive rent and food, so many entrepreneurs avoid settling down there if they can. Speaking to the Council for Community and Economic Research’s Cost of Living Index can help determine the most affordable states in terms of essential needs and real estate costs. For example, among the least expensive states in terms of housing, utilities, groceries, transportation, and healthcare are Arkansas and Texas.

Brand Visibility

Location can also influence the ability of a business to market itself and what competition it may face. For example, choosing a business address in Manhattan can change the perception of your business, as you’ll be able to tie your brand with the financial success and high growth commonly associated with the area. However, other key considerations like affordability and tax laws must be considered, too. So, it’s up to you and your financial plan to weigh up which factor will favor your business more.

Access to the Right Suppliers

Depending on the nature of your business, access to the best suppliers in terms of price and quality is another factor to consider when choosing the right location. Speed of delivery can have a huge impact on the productivity of your operations. This is why even though real estate and cost of living can be cheaper in smaller towns or cities, not every business is lining up to start operations there. The closer you are to the right suppliers, the faster your products and services can reach your intended markets — and the better it will be overall for you.

All in all, choosing the right location for your business depends on finding the right balance among these five factors. If some of them are conflicting, decide on which ones are more important to you and your business, and which disadvantages you can live with.

Meet The Man Behind The Cover Of The February 2021 Issue Of MoneyCentral Magazine: Ryan Evans

Posted on by Alex

Ryan Evans is a serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, public speaker, and family man. In the early 2010s, as his first entrepreneurial venture, Ryan founded a technology company that he grew to multiple locations, employing dozens of people. After a successful executive transition there, he was appointed as the Global Operations Director for a billion-dollar multinational corporation where his focus and passion were on strategic planning, global growth, and training. He was successful in growing that business to more than three million global affiliates before leaving to start his next venture.

In 2017, Ryan founded Elamant International and successfully launched the company in more than two dozen countries, spanning five continents, including massive action throughout Africa and Asia. Today, Elamant is stronger than ever with revenues of more than $200 million and growing.

Ryan has been featured in multiple publications as well as online resources, video channels, blogs, and forums. He has spoken in person and virtually to millions of people around the world. Ryan has been married for 17 years and is a devoted father to four amazing kids. MoneyCentral magazine recently caught up with Ryan and here’s what went down:

Could you please tell our readers a brief background about yourself and how you started your business?

My beginnings actually typify the American Dream. I grew up in the Midwest and always envisioned accomplishing great things. However, like so many others, I didn’t know how those dreams would become reality. I got my first taste of entrepreneurship while owning a local software company. Although I was featured in regional publications for my work, I knew I had the capacity to do more.

My big break came when I was Marketing Director for an international company and was instrumental in taking it to unprecedented heights. I realized then; I could do even more. The company I currently own, Elamant is drastically different from the other ventures. However, the experience I gained over the years prepared me for this moment.

When did your entrepreneurial flair first reveal itself?

I’ve been very blessed to travel the world during my time in Asia, I developed the skill set of connecting with people from different cultures and backgrounds. Succeeding as an entrepreneur is all about finding ways to build and maintain relationships. When I discovered my ability to connect with people from all walks of life, that’s when I began leveraging more effectively.

How did your life look before being an entrepreneur?

Boring with a capital “B”. Ask a lion what life looks like in a cage or a tiger what life looks like not being able to hunt. Entrepreneurs have a spirit that must be unleashed, and we’ll never be satisfied with any other life.

As an entrepreneur, what is it that motivates and drives you?

Helping others reach their full potential. Freedom means different things to different people and for me, it means living to your capacity. Anything less is bondage. I’m motivated by the thrill and challenge of showing people they can even when they think they can’t.

In one word, describe your life as an entrepreneur and explain why.

Unpredictable. Every day is different. Every challenge is unique. You wake up with a plan and have to be adaptable enough to change those plans quickly because you don’t always know what a day will bring. That’s what makes the journey so exciting for me.

What were your top three motivations for starting your business?

Making a difference, blazing a new trail, and leaving a legacy. Business is all about those three things. I want people’s lives to change as a result of them connecting with our business. I also want to do things that have never been done before; either by bringing an existing product to a new market or a new product to the masses. I also believe business is most successful when it achieves longevity. I want my great grandchildren’s children to benefit from the work I’ve done.

What do you put your success down to?

Perseverance. No matter what, I won’t give up on my dreams. Our company logo is an elephant. Our motto is we are unstoppable. Elephants are not fast animals, but they travel great distances because they persevere. They live longer than most creatures in the wild and they have no rival. That’s the pattern for me!

What would you say are the key elements for starting and running a successful business?

First is great partnerships. You never have to “do it all” when you have great partners. Next, is great products. Customers appreciate something that works even better than expected. They want value for their hard-earned money. When you have a great product, it builds loyalty and consumer confidence. Lastly, is a great passion. If you don’t like or believe in what you do, it will soon show. By having passion, you’ll always feel like your vocation is a vacation.

What are the three biggest challenges you have faced growing the business and how did you overcome them?

Maintaining focus is the most significant challenge any entrepreneur faces. It’s hard to have a one-track mind when you wear multiple hats. For me, I’ve overcome this challenge by delegation. I work to shift the workload to qualified members of the team in order to keep my mind on the main thing as much as possible.

Does the loneliness of the entrepreneur really exist?

Yes. There are times when it seems that no one “gets it” the way I do. Therefore, I find myself working in the late hours of the night or early mornings to be true to my vision. It’s great to have a strong support system. However, the saying is true: it’s lonely at the top.

As you grew the business, what have been some of the most important leadership lessons you have learned?

People need leaders. When you realize that one sentence, it will change everything. Leadership is not just something you do, it’s something you MUST do. Imagine where countries would be without presidents or where a basketball team would be without a coach. Leadership is a responsibility. Once you embrace the role of leader, it’s a lifetime responsibility.

What do you hope to see happen in the near future for small businesses all over the world?

Reliable training. College will never be able to prepare the entrepreneur for running a business. Therefore, small business owners need proven resources they can access from their mobile devices to equip them for the demands of being their own bosses. Ironically, we’ve got just the tools to help them. Stay tuned!

MoneyCentral Magazine’s Top 12 Male Entrepreneurs Of The Year

Posted on by Gary

Over the years, we have witnessed amazing entrepreneurs leaving their mark in the entrepreneurial world. Let’s face it, the list of successful male entrepreneurs continues to grow and evolve. There is a number of people in various professions that have gone from new kids on the block to becoming successful entrepreneurs, but this road to success is not always guaranteed. For every successful business, thousands of hopefuls fail. But for those that remain inspired, committed, and passionate, victory is an achievable target. That said, we have compiled a list of twelve successful male entrepreneurs who have accomplished not only success in their chosen field but also changed the world we live in through their innovation and ideas.

12. Rodney Foster

Rodney Foster is the CEO of a multimillion-dollar wine company known as “Edelheiss Wine” – he’s also a famous cast member of the hit TV show “Marrying Millions” which airs on The Lifetime Network.

The idea for Edelheiss Wine came about while he was on a vacation in St. Moritz, Switzerland after attending an event called Polo Snow Cup on Ice. Before he traveled to Switzerland, a colleague previously mentioned to him that he should try a certain wine in Switzerland that they typically serve warm like hot tea or coffee. The second day he was in Switzerland he eventually found a restaurant that serviced this type of wine – it was called a “Mulled Wine.” Rodney has never tasted warm wine before until his first visit to Switzerland so he wasn’t sure how he initially felt about it.

Mulled Wine didn’t really impress Rodney initially, but after the second and third time he tried it – that’s when something clicked. He fell in love with the wine and that’s when he started thinking of ways to bring Mulled Wine into the US soil. He also wanted to create mulled wine but using better ingredients as well as making a more organic version.

The next step was to create a name for this product. A contact Rodney met in Switzerland suggested the name “Edelheiss” – it was supposed to be a twist to the white flower that grows in the Alps of Switzerland and which is called “Edelweiss.” That same contact introduced Rodney to his brother in law who was very knowledgeable about wines. He met the brother in law via Facebook – they immediately clicked and that person eventually became Rodney’s business partner.

His new business partner sent Rodney a family recipe to recreate the wine according to his taste. After much experimentation, Rodney’s mother’s suggestion of adding some peach brandy to the mix took the wine to another level – it became a Fortified Wine which many people can enjoy at just room temperature in a wine glass but then you can also heat it up like a mulled wine and eve make Sangrias with it.

11. James Purpura

Around 17 years ago, James had hit rock bottom – beaten down by life, with shattered self-esteem. His addictions had resulted in jail time. He was financially, emotionally, and spiritually bankrupt. At the lowest point in his life, he met his future wife and business partner, Steph, and together they pursued a vision of becoming more.

Along their journey of personal growth and self-improvement, James and Steph saw an opportunity to disrupt an industry that ironically appeared to be perpetually stuck in the dark ages – the personal development industry. As a rag to riches, a non-formally educated, successful tech founder with a serious interest in philosophy, James recognized the uniqueness of his position to disrupt the personal development industry for the better.

Together, James and Steph felt an urgency to pursue their life mission to inspire individuals to tap into their unlimited potential and push humanity forward through a personalized combination of philosophy, science, technology, and community. They agreed it was time to launch their next venture, Powerful U, The World’s First Personal Evolution Company. James and Steph and their team have published a book, produced an award-winning movie, developed a game-changing personal perception assessment, and launched the Powerful Universe, a global platform for teaching and learning personal evolution. James has built strong international partnerships and an influencer network that already reaches over 50 million followers. Onstage and on camera, James is compelling, authentic, riveting, and has enriched audiences around the world.

10. Tendul Raj

A serial entrepreneur, Tendul Raj is a leading expert in the Bitcoin, Blockchain, and Crypto industries. He is on a personal mission to develop a culture of entrepreneurship, helping start-ups achieve their full potential as well as ] expand existing companies. His overall mission is to foster a society of economically independent individuals who are engaged citizens, contributing to the improvement of their communities across the world. In fact, he has built a career revolutionizing the financing industry across the globe and he currently consults and advises for a range of multi-million dollar companies.

Born and raised in Pondicherry, Tendul’s entrepreneurial journey started when he was 22. Soon after graduating from college, he started planning to start his own company. During the crucial stages of starting his new business, Tendul experienced sleepless nights for several weeks as he worked tirelessly day and night establishing the new company. Finally, after all the struggles and hardships, Nextazy Solutions Pvt Ltd was born. He also decided not to limit Nextazy with just a single vision – he wants Nextazy Solutions to provide blockchain solutions and AI-related services.

Tendul now focuses on the Blockchain industry and offers advice, consulting services, connections to Blockchain experts, and investor relations strategies.

9. Dr. DL Wallace

Dr. DL Wallace is a Soft Skills Training and Development Expert with more than 20 years of experience in employee development, entrepreneurial development, organizational efficiency, and business strategy.

He is currently the CEO and founder of Success Training Institute (STI), the worldwide leader in superior soft skills training. Founded in 2012, Success Training Institute is an award-winning, education technology company based just north of Dallas, Texas. It currently serves colleges and universities, workforce commissions, school districts, and corporations from various industries. The customized learning platforms developed by STI include pre and post-assessments, individualized learning plans, access to data and analytics, and more. Their services are geared towards corporations and individuals looking to improve personnel through training in compliance, leadership, problem-solving, team building, customer service, and more.

Success Training Institute offers plans for entrepreneurs, college students, sales and HR professionals, and more. Priced to fit almost any budget, certifications can be earned in weeks, and most see improvements within days. Success Training Institute offers online programs designed to empower the workforce. The power-packed, 8-minute video segments can be taken on demand and have been proven to make immediate impacts on productivity, positivity, and efficiency on behalf of employees at all levels who complete the training.

Success Training Institute also offers college students the opportunity to increase their marketability after graduation through its Virtual Internship Programs. Students who are selected earn soft skills certifications to boost their resumes, earn extra money for college, and can work remotely.

Success Training Institute is recognized as a Top Innovator in Education Technology and cutting edge online training. With original content, unique and proven instructional method, and an evergreen library, STI is changing the professional landscape for students and companies worldwide.

8. Dylan Ogline

Dylan Ogline is used to being underestimated. It’s laughable, considering he built Ogline Digital into a 7-figure business by offering only one service—direct response digital marketing—and doing it very well.

Dylan was never going to wind up in a cubicle. A high-school dropout and self-described “unemployable entrepreneur,” he started his first business as a teenager in rural Pennsylvania. Inspired by reading Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad, he was able to arrange an importer deal with a supplier of sophisticated European cell phones, which were rare in the pre-smartphone and iPhone era. The European supplier had no idea that he was doing business with a 14-year-old.

Agency 2.0, which trains first-time business founders to build a laptop lifestyle from the ground up, is Dylan’s long bet that a younger generation wants to skip the heart attacks and do it the Dylan way. “2.0” doesn’t refer to the version of his program—in fact, the current version of the training program is the third iteration.

Rather, “Agency 2.0” is meant to imply a new way of thinking about a digital marketing agency—lean, automated, bare-bones, micro-niche. Dylan teaches students to offer so much value that they can retire their day jobs and become digital nomads after closing just a few clients.

7. Rafael Dos Santos

Rafael dos Santos is a Brazillian entrepreneur who hails from London, UK. ​When he initially moved from Brazil to London, his lack of language skills and ​British qualifications stopped him from getting a good job. He became a kitchen porter and glass collector in various pubs to survive. In 2003 an opportunity came along and he got into the real estate industry. He started managing and letting rooms in houseshares in 2003 and by 2014 He had 50 houses in his portfolio and 15 employees. He successfully exited his first property business which he ran for 12 years and now he runs a marketing and PR agency as well as a media club.

6. Fabrizio Moreira

Fabrizio Moreira is an Ecuadorian politician and businessman. He currently resides in the United States and runs The Moreira Organization which is an organization that was awarded by INC 5000 as one of the world’s hottest digital agencies. Along the way he became a prolific angel investor and venture capitalist, eventually co-founding the Brooklyn-based record label VIP Music Records – a label is best known for managing the bookings of the rapper Soulja Boy from 2013-2014. VIP Music Records was born in 2009, and today, the group has agreements with The Orchard Music, Sony Music’s distribution division. To head its A&R department, the company was able to get Dwayne Domonick Grant to join them, a talented hip-hop recording artist, record producer, songwriter, and rapper, known as D-Teck, who is a former executive at Konvict Muzik. He is also a voting member of the Grammy Awards as well as an international speaker.Fabrizio Moreira is an Ecuadorian politician and businessman. He currently resides in the United States and runs The Moreira Organization which is an organization that was awarded by INC 5000 as one of the world’s hottest digital agencies. Along the way he became a prolific angel investor and venture capitalist, eventually co-founding the Brooklyn-based record label VIP Music Records – a label is best known for managing the bookings of the rapper Soulja Boy from 2013-2014. VIP Music Records was born in 2009, and today, the group has agreements with The Orchard Music, Sony Music’s distribution division. To head its A&R department, the company was able to get Dwayne Domonick Grant to join them, a talented hip-hop recording artist, record producer, songwriter, and rapper, known as D-Teck, who is a former executive at Konvict Muzik. He is also a voting member of the Grammy Awards as well as an international speaker.

5. Guruji Shrii Arnav

Few people embrace change with ease and move effortlessly across situations that may be as varied as can be. It probably comes from an assiduously cultivated capacity to evolve and grow. And to look at different circumstances as opportunities for growth, just clad in different garb! Guruji Shrii Arnav is someone who conducts meditations in ochre robes with as much as ease with which he makes his way in a boardroom, sporting a Zegna suit.

Sought after by global tycoons, world leaders, life coaches, celebs, key decision-makers, and also the normal folks in day to day life for his guidance and wisdom, Guruji’s life is a shining example of serving with humility and wielding success with compassion.

There were some great accomplishments early on for him indicating that mediocre wasn’t for him – from being an academically brilliant student to winning the Competition Success Review Mr. Super Brain Contest in the year 1999, a prestigious competition held then at the national level in India.

Never one to shy away from breaking the mold, he let go of a conventional and logical career choice in high finance, he took on a spiritual commitment and initiated his endeavours to start an organisation that would help individuals overcome obstacles of different kinds, optimise life and experience greater joy.

In 2008, when the entire world was reeling with the recession and a global financial crisis, he took a bold decision and launched www.Gemstoneuniverse.com, a web portal providing the top quality natural, treatment-free, precious gemstones.

His vision paid off and the site now has a monthly reach of 4 million unique targeted viewers including those on social media. The online retailing business of astrological gemstones has undergone a tremendous makeover and even more impressive reach and acceptance. He is widely credited with revolutionizing Gemstone e-commerce and standardizing Gem Therapy worldwide.

4, Mike Dalewitz

A veteran entrepreneur, Mike Dalewitz specializes in business restructuring and turnaround. He has built a career taking startups to multimillion-dollar success stories. He is also a highly sought-after speaker who coaches young entrepreneurs across the country where he teaches and encourages entrepreneurship through a unique blend of mindfulness and business strategy. By helping both aspiring and experienced business leaders balance the personal and professional, pursue passion projects, and gain a greater perspective, Mike supports talented professionals in developing and sharing ideas with their communities.

Born and raised just outside of New York City, Dalewitz completed New York Law School, earning a Juris Doctorate. He first worked as a lawyer before managing talent in the celebrity entertainment industry and later started a brand marketing firm in New York. He serves on various Non-Profit Boards serving Education Enrichment Programs, including Build NYC for Lower SocioEconomic HS Students, Bucks County Playhouse which brings Drama Programs to underserved communities, and creating teaching accreditation for Drama Teachers taught by Broadway talent to improve their craft and help bring Drama class back to the schools.

Dalewitz has founded companies such as The Mindful Mentor, B2L Design Build, Inspired Review, Peak Discovery, and MD Events & Entertainment. He is also the co-founder of 618 Hospitality Group and ReviewRight.

3. Peter Phillipp Wingsoe

Recognized as the original creator of the micro-endorsement space, natural-born innovator turned serial entrepreneur and veteran in digital start-ups, Peter Phillipp Wingsoe touts over 25+ years of experience in marketing, retail management, business development, strategic advisory, and consulting. With a professional background in and distinct aptitude for brand acquisition and expansion in unchartered markets and territories (i.e. Southeast Asia), Copenhagen-born Wingsoe’s comprehensive knowledge of the international landscape has made him a consummate resource within all partnered organizations. Currently a lead strategic advisor to several million dollar multinational corporations across Asia, he executively counsels the territory’s largest corporations with holdings in real estate, hotels, retail, and the F&B sectors with a personal history of having aided the growth of many companies from start-ups to conglomerates.

Previously, Wingsoe co-created and served as EVP of Pink Dot, setting into swift motion the now-popular American e-commerce and online grocery trend, and then moved on to serve as the VP of Marketing and Business Development for Blue Jay Inc. before co-founding the award-winning, full-service communications agency Entertainment Fusion Group in 2002, with present and past clients that include Oakley, LG Electronics, Lacoste, MTV, Hugo Boss, Guess, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino LV, Ubisoft and Boost Mobile. Notably, Peter co-founded the first-of-its-kind “in stream” advertising platform ad.ly, along with other household names in the digital sphere (Tinder, VMoney, Looksy.com). Splitting his time among his residences in Los Angeles, Bangkok, and Manila, Wingsoe continues to speak routinely at global forums on brand innovation, brand extensions, and SEA growth opportunities.

2. A.D. Dolphin

A.D. Dolphin, the grandson of the 1940s and 50’s music mogul John Dolphin, launched his company, Dherbs Inc., in 2004. Dherbs catalyzed an evolution in the use of herbs as a clear pathway to excellent health, healing, and an improved way of life. A.D. explains, “I always knew I would be an entrepreneur. Everyone in my family owned their own businesses and I wanted to follow in their footsteps.” He pursued a career as a professional basketball and found success overseas in Australia. Upon returning home from Australia A.D. began coaching and professional training. His reputation grew rapidly and amassed 300 private basketball students in under 2 months. “I saw how clients learned and what worked for them,” Dolphin says. “I trained each client not only according to their desires but also to their needs.” Dolphin became a trusted ally, friend, and mentee of his high profile clients.

Sideline conversations propelled A.D into real estate & music, but he found the most success with his herbal supplement business, Dherbs. A.D. road-tested what is still the company’s #1 product to date, the Full Body Cleanse. Within 7 days of the 20-day cleanse, Dolphin felt that his energy increased, his sleep was better, his thoughts were clearer, and he kicked his soda addiction. Dolphin decided to launch Dherbs as an online company. ‘I didn’t even have an email”, he laughs.

Since 2004 when A.D. and his 2 partners opened the virtual doors of Dherbs.com, they have not looked back. After over a decade of growth and success, A.D. is in the herb business to stay. “There is nothing like the feeling you get when you start helping people.” Dolphin’s philosophy is simple and clear, “The body can heal itself if it has the right fuel.” Dherbs has over 400 herbal products that can help remedy a variety of health ailments. A.D. does not rest on the laurels of financial success. He has a thirst for knowledge and information to share with clients that distinguish him as a leader in the field of health and wellness.

A.D. Dolphin, known for being Steve Harvey’s health and wellness expert, has appeared on a variety of media platforms discussing the benefits of clean eating and healthy weight loss. He has also helped transform the waistlines of high profile clientele, including Emmy Award-Winning Actress, Niece Nash, Grammy Award-Winning Singer Brandy, WeTV’s Celebrity Hairstylist Kim Kimble, Actress Sherri Shepherd, ABC’s Blackish star Anthony Anderson, Windy City Host Val Warner, and many more.

A.D. has been featured on The Doctors, Sister Circle Live, Great Day Houston, Windy City Live, MNewsOne Now, Yung Joc’s radio show on Streets 94.5 ATL, The Breakfast Club, Essence Magazine, Sheen Magazine, CentricTV.com (now BETHer), and many more. Additionally, he has appeared numerous times on the Steve Harvey Show, where he has not only helped Steve with his own weight loss but has also been involved in food demonstrations, weight loss challenges, and met face to face with people who have succeeded using his methods.

1. Armand Peri

If you’ve ever been bullied, you’d know first-hand what kind of negative long-lasting impact it can cause the victims. To be a successful entrepreneur requires not only a powerful motivation and passion but also an ability for overcoming setbacks. But setbacks can come in many shapes and forms and one of the most common forms of setbacks experienced in adolescence is bullying. Although the negative effects of bullying are lengthy and can continue well into adulthood, some entrepreneurs have found that negative experiences have had positive effects on their adult life because it allowed them to be more capable to overcome the many challenges they eventually face in their own ventures.

One such entrepreneur is none other than the incredible Armand Peri. He was once a seventeen-year-old student who used to be bullied a lot but he made a definitive decision to do something about it. He decided to get into weights so that no one would mess around with him anymore and two years later, he was rewarded for all his hard work with a first-place title in the teenage division of “Mr. New Jersey” which then led to winning the heavyweight division in the same competition two years later.

Armand Peri was originally born the son of Portuguese parents who emigrated to the U.S., settling in New Jersey when he was just 12 years of age. One of his early memories was hearing his mother tell him that they [the family] were “not born to be rich.” Rather than accept this as his inevitable destiny though, he was motivated to create his own mantra for success, and it taught him one of his most crucial life lessons: the importance of setting goals and then taking well-thought-out steps to achieve said goals.

Armand’s first goal was achieved when he was recognized and lauded for his accomplishments in the bodybuilding arena. He also won a National Talent Search, was introduced to President and Mrs. Reagan and he even had his work displayed in a prestigious national gallery, as well as in the New Jersey State Gallery of Art. To state that Armand is an overachiever is an understatement.

Armand worked his way through college, first as a bouncer, and then eventually a dancer for a male entertainment revue. This decision to take on these dancing gigs was actually pivotal in his life and would ultimately bring him success and enable him to start his own company. Armand saw an opening in a niche market that felt right and he decided to fill it. He created Hunk-O-Mania, a high-end male revue and strip club for women in New York City. He focused on every aspect of building a reputation, not just for the exotic male dancers but for the entire staff – waiters, security, and ticket takers alike. Having been a dancer himself, he was uniquely positioned to run this enterprise, understanding the psychology behind it and making customer service and satisfaction on every level the top priority. This was undoubtedly what ensured his success right from the start.

Fast forward to today and Armand is now a successful entrepreneur, investor, artist, author, and motivational speaker. His venture has grown and expanded nationwide to Atlantic City, Chicago, Miami, Boston, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Savannah, Greensboro, Raleigh, Baltimore, Washington, Austin, Houston, Myrtle Beach, Charlotte, Charleston, and Nashville. In his book “Unparalleled Success,” which was published in 2019, he shares his recipe for that success. He’s also frequently engaged as a motivational speaker. His genuine desire to help others to achieve true success, while keeping the focus on their professional and personal well-being, is what inspires others to find their own path to victory.

MoneyCentral Magazine’s Top 12 Female Entrepreneurs Of The Year

Posted on by Gary

Over the years, we have witnessed amazing entrepreneurs leaving their mark in the entrepreneurial world. Let’s face it, the list of successful female entrepreneurs continues to grow and evolve. There is a number of people in various professions that have gone from new kids on the block to becoming successful entrepreneurs, but this road to success is not always guaranteed. For every successful business, thousands of hopefuls fail. But for those that remain inspired, committed, and passionate, victory is an achievable target. That said, we have compiled a list of twelve successful female entrepreneurs who have accomplished not only success in their chosen field but also changed the world we live in through their innovation and ideas.

12. Kim Overton

It all started in 2006 when SPIbelts Founder, Kim Overton, went for a run with nowhere to comfortably hold her key. Afterward, she went home and assembled the first SPIbelt. After months of hard work, development, and patenting, SPIbelt officially launched in February of 2007 out of Kim’s Austin, Texas apartment.

Eleven years later you can find SPIbelt products in over 40 countries. Despite SPIbelts international success, its headquarters remain in Austin, Texas where the majority of their products are still being handmade.

11. Nikki Clarke

Starting a business with newborn or small children is not an easy feat, especially when you have to look after four of them. All Nikki Clarke initially wanted to do was make a bit of extra money on the side to feel comfortable financially. She didn’t actually start out to revolutionize the way mums looked and felt about themselves. She started Cadenshae with a $20k order of bras. She financed the entire project herself, as it was important for her not to rely on investors so she could still keep full control of the business. At the time, she had an 11-month-old baby and another one on the way, so it was certainly a risk, but one she knew would pay off as she’d stumbled across a niche market that was not being catered to properly at all. In less than five years she had 2 more kids, yet in the process, she somehow managed to grow Cadenshae into a multi-million dollar global empire.

10. Helen Getts

Growing up without any influence to have a strong business mindset, being an entrepreneur didn’t come as an idea to Helen Getts until at a much later time in her life. Raised by young parents who came from a communist country, it’s not something that was really on the table for her.

Growing up, she had to be independent, which was a great life lesson for her but which also lead her to struggle during her teenage years and eventually drop out of high school. But that hiccup in her life didn’t discourage Helen at all. She managed to get her act together – she got her GED (General Educational Development) and continued her studies at a 4-year Business University, where she received high academic achievement.

While in college, similar to most students, she took on several oddball jobs. These jobs eventually took a toll on Helen which in turn pushed her to find a better way to earn money – and that’s through selling products she loves online. After a period of time, she realized she didn’t want to just earn from this side hustle – she wanted to turn it into an actual full-time business. As a result, she ended up dropping everything else and she has been working on the e-commerce sphere now for the last 6 years.

In the first two years of being in business, Helen failed in all the things she tried, followed by three years of struggling to break even. It was only really this year that her company Topfoxx got a big break. As with many startups, she had an apartment-turned-stockroom with only four sunglasses designs to start. In a span of four years, Topfoxx has now grown into an all-female team of eight and carries over 70+ eyewear designs in styles and colours made to fit every unique personality. The Topfoxx brand has also built a community of over 260,000 followers (Boss Babes!) on Instagram alone and their designs are loved by top fashion and beauty influencers. Celebrities such as actress Brittany Snow, Kardashian’s make-up artist Hrush Acheyam, country singer Raelynn, and more have been spotted in their Topfoxx sunnies. You can also find Topfoxx on notable fashion publications such as InStyle, Elite Daily, Bustle, and more.

9. Yi Zhou

Chinese multimedia artist, influencer, and entrepreneur Yi Zhou is widely known in the international creative community for her artistic, fashion, branding, and film work. Her work is admired by a highly diverse group of distinguished intellectuals, Hollywood A-listers, wealthy patrons and the young social media audience.

Yi Zhou has a degree in political science and economics from the London School of Economics and is now continuing her education at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. She speaks fluent French, Italian, English, Spanish, and Mandarin.

In recent years, she has endorsed a number of global campaigns including Persol, DFST – Galleria, Levis, and others. She was named the first-ever brand ambassador for China for Clarins in 2010. Since 2011, she has collaborated with such prestigious brands as Chanel, Hogan, Pringle of Scotland, Lane Crawford, and YOOX. She also collaborated with French couture Jewelry house Gripoix, launching a special collection titled “Pineapple Secret. Her animations have also inspired a clothing collection by popular French brand Each X Other.

In 2013, she was invited as the first-ever Chinese talent to be hired as a designer and creative director of a brand, to create a 360-degree project ranging from menswear, womenswear, and accessories for Italian luxury brand ICEBERG. The “Breaking the Ice” capsule collection was released worldwide in December 2013.

In 2010, she created Yi Zhou Studio, creating employment opportunities for young Chinese talents to collaborate and experiment together on international projects.

A major social media influencer, Yi Zhou has been named Tudou’s art director, art and fashion advisory member at SINA.com, and beauty and fashion ambassador for Tencent.

A passionate promoter of East-West relations, she is frequently asked to speak at conferences and events around the globe, including TEDx (Paris 2012, Beijing 2013, Zheijang 2014), LVMH Labour Day in Paris in 2013 and Financial Times Luxury Conference in 2014.

Yi Zhou has contributed to many NGOs by creating art pieces for the UN Conference for World Climate Change in South Africa in 2011, the UNDP China Rio+20 Projection in 2012, as well as World Oceans Day in 2015. Most recently, she worked with Natalia Vodianova’s Naked Heart Foundation by participating in an artwork commissioned by ETAM.

Yi Zhou ‘s short films have also been shown at Shanghai Biennale, Venice Biennale, Sundance Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival. She was selected by Venice Biennale to showcase her 2011 works, as well as new works from her solo show at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Rome titled “Fragments of Rome, past, future, parallel worlds.”

She is currently working on several international media projects and is developing her first feature motion picture.

8. Jennifer “Jen” Kem

Jennifer “Jen” Kem is a San Francisco Bay Area-based branding and marketing expert who gets entrepreneurs seen, heard, and paid – for being themselves.

She’s the creator of the Master Brand Method: a framework to develop powerful brand archetypes that win customers’ hearts, leveraging Jennifer’s 17 years of corporate experience and her launching of multiple companies.

She uses the Master Brand method in digital strategy coaching for emerging entrepreneurs, celebrity brands like Oprah Winfrey Network and Steve Harvey, and major corporations including Verizon, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Bank of Hawaii.

Jennifer serves up straight talk wrapped in love because she understands entrepreneurs’ challenges: She built a retail business and became a millionaire at 32, only to lose it all in the recession two years later. She is now the successful owner of three million-dollar brand-building businesses and the mother of three children.

7. Brianna Rooney

Brianna Rooney was initially hired as a recruiter, a career she knew nothing about, yet somehow she managed to thrive in it and even enjoyed every second of it. Two years later, she came to a point where she didn’t feel that the company she worked for was doing her justice. Eventually, she decided to walk out of her job with no plan whatsoever because she just knew she wanted to do better, more quality work – and that’s how Techees was born. Techees is a team of recruiters that collaborate well together and help connect companies and candidates.

Today she’s 34 years old, she owns her own company called Techees, she also has three houses, as well as a  top 100 restaurant (www.mouthfuleatery.com).

6. Tahnee Elliott

When Tahnee Elliott saw a need for a quality fashion boutique, she decided to take advantage of the opportunity to fill in the gap in the market, and the result was a successful business.

She started her business back in 2000 at the ripe age of 24. She had just graduated from college in Lubbock, Texas when she decided that she wanted to go into business. Having lived in the small college town for four years, she knew there was a serious need for a quality fashion boutique. After opening TC Elli’s, word quickly spread about her business and TC Elli’s began to grow into a beloved shop where luxury is about being one of a kind, and not about how much money you spend.

Fast forward to today, and TC Elli’s now has over 40 thousand followers on Instagram and customers all over the world. She runs her business with the help of about 30 high school and college-aged women. Part of the mission of TC Elli’s is to prepare and empower women to start a business, so by delegating essential duties such as social media, buying, and budgeting to her staff – she hopes to teach all of her employees how to start, run, and expand their own company if and when they decide to do so after college.

5. Mimi G

With over 2.1 million social media followers and 12 million website views annually, DIY Fashion Expert/Girlboss Mimi G has defied all odds to emerge as the most influential woman in DIY fashion, propelling herself into the ranks of Martha Stewart, Lauren Conrad, and Chrissy Teigen.

MimiGStyle.com began as a hobby, and has blossomed into the world’s leading DIY fashion/sewing online destination, where Mimi G models her original designs/patterns ranging from business wear to swimsuits that fit the everyday girl, create free tutorials of her on-trend sewing patterns (Turn Your Jeans into a Skirt, Refashioned Sweatshirt into Dress, Men’s Shirt Into Off Shoulder Button Up), personally answers every DIY sewing question (i.e. what fabrics to buy, what projects to start with, etc.), and so much more. She also created the world’s #1 online sewing school SewItAcademy that works for everyone from the first-time sewing novice to the expert seamstress. SewItAcademy helps fashionistas of all levels master the fundamentals of sewing, work at a pace that allows time to practice, learn the importance of specific techniques, break free from mundane methods, and create trendsetting clothing and accessories.

Mimi G has worked with celebrities like Gwen Stefani and Jennifer Aniston, companies like Target, Revlon, and Google, and has been featured in People Magazine, Parade Magazine, POPSUGAR (to name a few) for making sewing hip and accessible.

4. Raquel Baldelomar

Raquel Baldelomar is the founder and president of Quaintise, a marketing and branding agency, based in Santa Monica. For 15 years, Quaintise has produced award-winning creative content for clients in the health and wellness sectors. Raquel has a finance degree from the MBA-modeled Business Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin and began her career managing private equity portfolios as a financial analyst for JP Morgan Private Bank. In 2003, Raquel launched Quaintise and has served leading national health and wellness organizations by building their brand currencies through compelling storytelling, strong messaging, and visually engaging creative assets.

In 2015, Raquel decided to devote more time to one of her passions – changing the conversation of healthcare from sick care management to disease prevention. She is co-author of the book Sugar Crush: How to Reduce Inflammation, Reverse Nerve Damage, and Reclaim Good Health. She is also a Forbes columnist where she reports on corporate wellness, executive health, and the creative process. Raquel is also a TV host and producer for CNN focusing on stories related to executive health, wellness, and how travel stimulates creativity. Her goal is to share with audiences compelling stories that educate people on how pausing can lead to a more meaningful kind of productivity, creativity, and wellness.

3. Emily Vavra

Emily Vavra is an alpha female Entrepreneur who had a dream and went for it. This LA-based wellness leader and the speaker continue to pave the way for others as one of the top network marketing professionals. Since 2011, Emily has helped thousands of other entrepreneurs in building their own health, wealth, and financial freedom.

Emily started from humble beginnings: from being flat broke at the age of 23, she channeled her determination, knowledge, and talent for managing people into building one of the largest network marketing organizations to date. She made her first million at the age of 26, and today, she has helped more than 140,000 entrepreneurs find their own path to personal and professional success.

2. Lisa Wise

Lisa Wise is the CEO of Flock DC (Chief Flockster), a family of service companies with an innovative approach to real estate management and preservation.

Over the last 25 years, her professional experiences have all been anchored in empowering individuals as consumers, building stronger communities, and creating forward-thinking businesses. Growing up surrounded by love but short on resources, she sought security by building businesses from a young age, starting with her first enterprise, The Sherlock Holmes Detective Agency in her parents’ backyard shed.

In 2008 Lisa made a radical career change from the non-profit world to running a small boutique property management company. Today she owns a family of companies, employs over 50 people and her company manages 1.5 billion in residential real estate in Washington, DC. They do all of this while being a great place to work for and having a valuable role to play in contributing to the community. Her leadership style is about empathy, humility, and a fierce passion for justice. With her country amid a global pandemic, an economic crisis, and widespread protests for racial justice, she’s trying to step into this moment with bold and unapologetic leadership, personal sacrifices, and a commitment to caring for her team members and her community.

1. Liz Elting

Liz Elting is the founder and CEO of the Elizabeth Elting Foundation. She is an entrepreneur, business leader, linguaphile, philanthropist, feminist, and mother. After living, studying, and working in five countries across the globe, Liz started TransPerfect out of an NYU dorm room. During her tenure as Co-CEO, she grew TransPerfect into the world’s largest language solutions company, with over $600 million in revenue, 5,000+ employees, 11,000+ clients, and offices in more than 90 cities worldwide. Liz has been recognized as a NOW “Woman of Power & Influence,” American Express’ and Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Woman of the Year,” one of Forbes’ “Richest Self-Made Women,” and is a recipient of the 2019 Charles Waldo Haskins Award for business and public service from NYU’s Stern School of Business.

5 Ways To Create An Irresistible Brand Using Storytelling

Posted on by Gary

If you need to create an irresistible brand, storytelling is the way to go. Storytelling causes chemical changes in the brain that make the subject compelling to the reader and create a connection between the two. There are five features your story must-have for this to work.

The Brain Science Behind Storytelling

Our brains respond to storytelling because of the chemical processes in the brain.

Cortisol is released during tense or anxious moments. Oxycontin is the same chemical that is released when you look at puppies or babies. It promotes an emotional connection. Last, dopamine makes us feel good, hopeful, and optimistic.

A good storytelling pattern will start with empathy to create oxycontin and establish a connection with the reader. Then the writer will add tension or adversity to release cortisol. The last step is simply to solve the problem, and the brain will release dopamine.

A Means to Build Trust Between the Reader and The Brand

Besides processing the story, your brain also processes the emotions behind the story. Understanding other people’s feelings build empathy. Building empathy creates emotional connections, which, in turn, builds trust.

Establish a Connection with The Reader

It is critical to connect with your audience. If your demographic is the outdoor-loving crown, you need to resonate with outdoor values. It is especially helpful to design the brand as if the consumer is buying your story when they buy your product. This is the basis of every college swag product. When you wear something with a university name or logo, you declare yourself part of that university’s story and history.

The Struggles and Successes in the Brand’s History

Do not make the mistake of glossing over all the painful parts of your company’s history. Your story must not be all roses and lollipops. It is essential to include any adversity or conflict that your company faced. Last, do not forget to show how the situation was resolved.

Explain Why the Company Exists

Use the story to explain why your company exists, which must be a deeper reason than making money. Make this reason connect with the reader. Maybe you donate profits to after school programs or invest in saving the honeybees. Do you only buy organic ingredients or handmade African crafts? Are you working to improve the healthcare or customer service experience? Maybe you are supporting education by building a new platform to increase the effectiveness of online learning.

Describe What Your Brand Stands For

Finally, the last piece is to know what you stand for. You must have a robust definable mission that will resonate with your audience. Decide your brand’s values and how they line up with your target demographic’s values.

While writing a good back story may be difficult, this is one task you only have to do once. The return on investment for this will rebound year after year. Do not miss out on this must-do brand marketing strategy.

Meet The Man Behind The Cover Of The November 2020 Issue Of MoneyCentral Magazine: Dylan Ogline

Posted on by Gary

Dylan Ogline Lives the Vagabond Lifestyle of a Laptop Entrepreneur … And He Wants You to Join the Club, Fast!

Dylan Ogline is used to being underestimated. It’s laughable, considering he built Ogline Digital into a 7-figure business by offering only one service—direct response digital marketing—and doing it very well.

But among his fellow entrepreneurs, he is something of an oddity. There’s definitely an “Old Guard”—usually overweight, undertanned, and light on passport stamps—that doesn’t understand what he does.

When networking at business conferences, he sometimes describes Agency 2.0, his training program to teach aspiring entrepreneurs to do what he did—build a lean, niched-down solopreneur digital agency offering high-ticket services.

The “Old Guard” Boomers and post-Boomers at those conferences like to tell him he is a fool. How could he leave so much money on the table?

He should (they explain) offer a full suite of digital marketing services. Ogline Digital shouldn’t let its clients shop anywhere else! He should hire a team of graphic designers, and a team of coders, a team of SEO specialists, and get a shiny downtown office for them all to commute to—five hours in traffic to break their spirits good and proper.

For a mere $1,000,000 in extra expenses, he could be making $1,000,500 more in revenue! Five hundred extra dollars in profit to brag about on the ambulance ride to the cardiac ward!

Dylan doesn’t feel like a fool. He recently returned from nearly two months in Southeast Asia. Spending most of his time in Thailand, living in a highrise condo, and losing himself on the streets of Bangkok or the forest trails of Chiang Mai. It was his first “mini-retirement,” inspired by Tim Ferriss’ The Four-Hour Workweek and Ferriss’ own favorite book, Vagabonding by Rolf Potts. He followed that trip up with nearly another month in Europe with his longtime girlfriend.

During his travels, he ran Ogline Digital from his laptop. An avid hockey player, he’s in amazing shape, looking barely 21 of his 31 years. And he knows he’s onto something that touches the dreams of Millenial and Gen Z entrepreneurs, who measure success, not in the size of the bank account, but the size of the adventure.

Dylan was never going to wind up in a cubicle. A high-school dropout and self-described “unemployable entrepreneur,” he started his first business as a teenager in rural Pennsylvania. Inspired by reading Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad, he was able to arrange an importer deal with a supplier of sophisticated European cell phones, which were rare in the pre-smartphone and iPhone era. The European supplier had no idea that he was doing business with a 14-year-old.

When the shipments arrived, Dylan flipped the phones on eBay for a profit. It was all going swimmingly until his payment processor discovered his age and shut him down.

A different family might have exhorted their errant son to get his head out of the clouds and get a “real job.” But Dylan actually comes from a family of business owners.

But the youngest Ogline is still the black sheep. His father and brother belong to that Old Guard, valuing hard work instead of smart work, revenue growth instead of a lifestyle. As a result, Dylan’s father worked himself into three heart attacks. Dylan fears that his older brother, who loaned him Rich Dad, Poor Dad in the first place, is headed to a stress-induced heart attack as well.

But that doesn’t stop them from scoffing at their globe-trotting family member, as if his million-dollar agency is somehow a fluke … like he needs to “grow up” and open a business he hates, like “working men” do.

Agency 2.0, which trains first-time business founders to build a laptop lifestyle from the ground up, is Dylan’s long bet that a younger generation wants to skip the heart attacks and do it the Dylan way. “2.0” doesn’t refer to the version of his program—in fact, the current version of the training program is the third iteration.

Rather, “Agency 2.0” is meant to imply a new way of thinking about a digital marketing agency—lean, automated, bare-bones, micro-niche. Dylan teaches students to offer so much value that they can retire their day jobs and become digital nomads after closing just a few clients.

To learn more, MoneyCentral Magazine caught up with Dylan, fresh off a mountain trail in his Denver Airbnb—far from his adopted home base of Orlando, but closer to home than Bangkok. Here’s what went down:

So, your training program is called “Agency 2.0,” and not because it’s your second version, but because it outlines a new approach to agencies. With that in mind, what is “Agency 1.0?”

The “1.0” way of thinking is a bloated agency with a ton of expenses, salaried employees … you have an office, you’re doing one-off projects for your clients, these huge, massive creative projects for your clients. Reinventing the wheel all the time.

“Agency 2.0” is pretty much the exact opposite—a slim, sleek, scrappy business model. Very little expenses, no office, independent contractors-if any team members. And you’re doing retainer-type work. The beauty of it all is-if your client is spending $5,000 on ads per month and you start to get things rolling for them and they increase spend to say… $50,000/month, the amount of work actually becomes less. So the higher your income is off an individual client, the less work you’re typically putting into it.

Is there any danger of students getting into the business and finding that they’re competing with each other—too many people offering the same service?

The truth is that if you do everything for everybody, we’ve already hit market saturation on that.

Here is the key – if you’re managing ads for a plumbing and heating company, and a car dealership, and a doctor, and also building websites for restaurants, and then you’re also doing SEO, you don’t really become good at anything. It is incredibly difficult to become the best in the world at everything.

It is damn near impossible to become the best person in the world at “digital marketing.” It is relatively easy to become the best person in the world at “digital marketing for plastic surgeons in the southeast”.

There’s a million different niches, and a million different ways you can slice them up. People naturally have a scarcity mindset, and if you are an agency doing everything for everyone, you should have a scarcity mindset! Because it’s going to be really difficult.

But if you are specifically helping plastic surgeons on the east coast—or whatever, that’s a random niche I just came up with—the truth is that you probably couldn’t handle more than five clients. And if you have five clients and you get them going, you can have a six-figure agency, no problem.

I have a seven-figure agency off of less than ten clients. So the concept of scarcity is backward thinking. We could easily add another 10,000 niched-down agencies, and there’s no way we would reach market saturation. Not even close. There are over 30 million small businesses in the United States alone and growing. Sure not all of them are going to be looking to add on the services of a digital agency but they are ALL looking to grow.

What drove you to be an entrepreneur and start businesses from such a young age?

For me, when I got into business, it wasn’t because I wanted to have a Lamborghini and a few Rolexes. Those were not the things that drove me. What drove me was that I didn’t want to be poor. I didn’t want to worry about how I’m going to pay the water bill or the electric bill.

I grew up in Pennsylvania, in an older house with what felt like zero insulation. I remember freezing my ass off at night in the middle of winter because it was an old house, it was expensive to heat, and my parents, justifiably so, didn’t want to spend the money. So all I cared about was f*cking heat!

Why did you decide to offer a training program? What was the journey there?

I had a lot of teachers that influenced me, a lot of coaches, a lot of mentors. I don’t believe anybody is self-made. That is a ridiculous concept. Sure I have worked hard. Sure I have made a few smart plays. But if it weren’t for those people teaching me things, or my brother just having that book laying around, I wouldn’t be where I am. So at a younger age, I knew I wanted to do some kind of coaching or teaching.

With [Ogline Digital], if a client is doing half a million in sales a year, and we onboard them, get their marketing working, and they make a million in sales next year … that’s really cool. But that didn’t change the business owner’s life. They’re just making more money.

I had a student who joined my training program last year or the beginning of this year. She joined the program in like, December or January. At the time I charged something like $500 to get on board. A month later, I talked to her on one of the group calls. You could hear the tears in her voice, where … that was, like, her last $500. Her and her husband were struggling. But within a few weeks of joining the program, she got her first client, and with the money she got from that first client, she was able to buy her kids’ birthday presents. Then she went on to build a successful agency. That changed her life. It changed everything about her life.

So to say that I am slightly more passionate about this training program and helping people is putting it lightly. The personal fulfillment I get is just … it’s hard to put into words.

What mistakes do you think business owners make that you try to correct in Agency 2.0?

Even if you’re not building an agency—even if you have some kind of product that you’re going to dropship to people or whatever … something they get wrong is that, as fast as possible, you need to focus on getting the cash register to ring. That is, making sales.

I see people who, outside of starting a digital agency, they have some kind of product that they’re going to ship and sell … they’ll spend two years, like, a long time, getting their Facebook page started. Getting public relations going. Getting nice business cards. Getting a fancy logo. All these unnecessary things. When they actually try to get customers and try to get sales, it flops, because they don’t have product/market fit.

Getting the cash register to ring as fast as possible is what any digital entrepreneur needs to focus on. That’s the only way to prove product-market fit, by someone actually give you money for your product or service. You don’t want to waste a lot of time on unnecessary things because the truth is that you’re probably going to fail the first time.

You have to move fast and remain flexible. I probably say “move fast” about a hundred times in the first week of my program!

Is the Digital Nomad life everything you thought it would be?

This is an incredibly good question! I was mentoring this younger guy recently … probably a year or so ago. He’s, like, 19 or so, maybe an 18-year-old kid. And he works a dead-end job, fast food or Dunkin’ Donuts or something similar. This is in the small town in Pennsylvania. And he’s like “I can’t do this. I can’t spend the rest of my life in this small town. I want to ‘see the world.’”

So he basically asked me the same thing—he’s like “Is it everything I think it will be?”

And I was like, “The vision that you have of how cool it will be, wherein your head you’re imagining standing on the balcony of your condo in some random city in Asia and looking at this city that you have a month, two months to explore … an infinite amount of time to explore, and you don’t have to go to work tomorrow … you still have to work, but you can do what you want, whenever you want, as long as you keep your business going …”

“You have absolutely no idea just how awesome it is. What your expectations are, they are wrong. It’s so far beyond what you could possibly imagine. Having that freedom is beyond what money can buy. Words cannot describe how amazing it is.”