Business Beginner

Now that you've decided on your business focus,  started creating exceptional content , and started leveraging your social media networks to build an audience... you're ready to begin monetizing your new digital media. This is a subject of some debate for many media producers. It really depends on your perspective when to start monetizing your sites. Some people don't want to monetize their media in the beginning of building a brand for fear of losing readers / viewers / subscribers with of customer-repelling ads in return for a small amount of income ( think Mark Zuckerberg in Facebook's infancy). I certainly respect that outlook and agree that it should be seriously considered depending on your target audience.  My opinion, however, is that implementing a monetization system and plan early on in your business development will: a)  Give you valuable data you can analyze including a baseline for revenue and what income channels are most successful b)  Avoid shockin...

One of the many ways you can leverage your digital media expertise and monetize it is by offering consulting services. Your expertise in a specific niche industry and experience with digital media make you a valuable asset to many businesses. Whether you consult for one company or several at once, your nearly free startup can end up earning you over $100 an hour or a 6 figure annual income.  Analyze the market to determine what services are needed, under-served, and fit your skill set. What can you do better, cheaper, or more creatively than your competition? Chances are that if you've had success with your media startup, you've proven strong skills with social media, content creation, copy writing, video production, thinking outside the box, and being resourceful with a limited or nonexistent budget. These are all incredibly valuable skills that many companies and other entrepreneurs need. Create a separate website, or a separate section of your existing website (and potent...

You can leverage your digital media expertise you've learned here at Bootstrap Business to earn a great small business or corporate career in more of a 9-5 capacity. Chances are if you've gone through the my Bootstrap Business tips and tutorials, you aren't really looking to work a 9-5 job. You probably want a major change in the status quo . You can skip to the next section if you need to, but you might want to keep an open mind. The lifestyle of an entrepreneur year after year isn't for everyone. Even if you're a die-hard entrepreneur now or can't wait to drop your current job, your perspective now it can certainly change. Entrepreneurship can cause severe burnout over time and the security of consistent work, health benefits, paid vacation, and a 401k might be major considerations depending on where you are in your personal and financial life. You can always be a "sidepreneur" and enjoy entrepreneurial business ventures during your free time with a...

Jim Koch is an inspirational figure that left a lucrative consulting career to start the world's most successful microbrewery: Sam Adams. Here are some of my favorite motivational entrepreneur quotes from Jim Koch, founder and CEO of Boston Beer Company aka Sam Adams: 1)  "The value of a company depends on elements that contribute to the creation of real value—things like providing superior products at fair prices." 2)  "Selling is applied communication and vastly underrated in business education. If you want to know how viable your business is, go try to sell your product to some potential customers." 3)  "I love disruption. To me, disruption means that you see the way things are, and you're able to see a better way and see a path from where we are now to this better way." 4)  "I try not to manage, because most people know how to do their job better than I know." 5)  "You need to be learning and innovating, giving your people inte...