Archive for the ‘Partners’ Category
How to Find More Customers
Wednesday, April 25th, 2012Three Things You Must Do to Attract People to Your Business
One of the greatest challenges for a young business is getting customer traction. This rarely happens overnight; however, it won’t cost a fortune or take forever when you apply these three practices:
1. Optimize the message. Make sure the message is clear. The content of the press release, the tweet, the Facebook post must be concise and to the point. We live in an era of multi-media, so the message can also have embedded video and photos. The old way of doing press releases is dead. Press releases are also searchable by keyword phrases. Make sure your press and social media is written so reporters and media professionals can find you.
2. Open a dialogue. Make sure you can listen to your customers as well as you can talk to them. Gone are the days when you use your mouth, but not your ears. When you write a press release, tweet or post a blog or Facebook entry, you need to give your audience the opportunity to reply AND you must have a way to collect those replies. Using your mouth and ears must be followed by using your brain to evolve your message and your business.
3. Be consistent. Be constant. Be patient. One tweet or press release won’t do anything. One thousand tweets or ten press releases in one day won’t either. A steady flow of information reinforces your message and steadily reminds your customers about your business. Trust isn’t built on a one night stand. Trust is built over time, so understand that you must commit time and discipline to your PR and social media activity.
We constantly hear from fellow entrepreneurs who want a winning PR and social media strategy, but they don’t believe they have the time or the money. Well, it doesn’t have to cost thousands of dollars each month or take half of each day to get results.
We found a solution.
We found a solution we like so well that we partnered with them to bring it to you. A company called Vocus, based in Maryland, has created a suite of PR and marketing tools just for startups and small businesses.
From a single dashboard, we can
- Create press releases and deliver them to thousands of reporters and journalists,
- Track activity in our Twitter and Facebook accounts, and receive suggestions for engaging our audience, and
- Receive inquiries from journalists and bloggers who are looking to write stories that could feature us.
Using Vocus, our followers and interaction have increased on Twitter and Facebook and we’re spending much less time while getting better results. Vocus is easy enough to use that you can be completely new to PR or social media and become proficient within a day. Vocus also has great white papers, guides and webinars to educate you on the latest trends and strategies in public relations and social media.
Check it out. They have given us a deal to share with the ActSeed community, and you can see it firsthand in a really compelling personalized demo by clicking here.
Your Ideal Source of Cash…
Tuesday, July 19th, 2011…is from customers!
A great way to grow your business: find new customers using daily deals from GroupPrice. ActSeed likes Group Price because they enable you to increase your sales with no upfront marketing expenses while cutting your costs with daily deals from other small businesses.
Problem
One of the growth problems for startups is getting more cash coming in than is going out. Cash is the fuel that powers a business. Not receivables or IOUs, but cash in the bank. You must positively impact your cash two ways:
- Increase revenues by attracting new paying customers
- Reduce expenses by finding great deals for the business services you need
Solution
ActSeed has partnered with GroupPrice to help you tap this innovative marketplace to boost your business in two important ways:
- Spark an increase in sales by tapping new customers without any upfront marketing or advertising expense.
- Find daily deals on products and services aimed at your start up or small businesses with discounts up to 80%.
How to Maximize the Benefits from the ActSeed-GroupPrice Partnership
Two steps. Both are free.
1. Register with GroupPrice so you can buy and sell on the GroupPrice marketplace.
2. Register with ActSeed where you can access exclusive promotions and discounts from our leading partners like GroupPrice.
Like Fox Business TV, we think Group Price is like Groupon® – but dedicated to entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses.
Summary
ActSeed and GroupPrice are aligned in a commitment to helping you find sources of capital and streams of revenue. Cash is king. Heck, cash is also queen, prince and the whole royal court.
Forrester Research has identified that “daily deals for business is a persistent and growing trend.” Startups and small businesses – the backbone of the US economy – have been badly weakened by the recession, but sites like Group Price are helping them recover and grow.
Raise your revenue. Cut your costs. Do both using GroupPrice.
…Now that’s an obvious partnership that ActSeed can champion.
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Accessing the World from Your Own Back Yard
Monday, May 9th, 2011It’s not uncommon that a startup in the USA has an almost immediate international presence, and it’s also not uncommon that entrepreneurs from other countries are trying to access US markets.
While we often talk about how the Internet shrinks borders and facilitates commerce, sometimes a “good ole fashioned” cross-border support group works well, too.
One good example of cross-border collaboration that is helping entrepreneurs and startup businesses in two countries is the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce (“SACC”), and ActSeed is proud to be a partner with the San Diego chapter. Founded in 1988, SACC-USA is the umbrella organization for 19 regional Swedish-American Chambers of Commerce across the United States. The SACC serves more than 2,300 members in Sweden and the US. 
The mission of the SACC is to facilitate and support trade, commerce, and investment between the US and Sweden – helping Swedish companies find the right partners in the USA and vice versa. This is achieved through effective industry specific programs and events, corporate programs, trade missions, business matchmaking and lots of ”good old fashioned” networking.
The SACC San Diego was founded in 1989 as one of the first local Swedish chambers in America. The Swedish American Chamber of Commerce in San Diego is a non-profit organization with the goal to promote, develop, and increase the Swedish–American contacts and interactions in the greater San Diego area.
More and more, the San Diego SACC is becoming involved in the local San Diego startup scene. Entrepreneurs from both countries are starting to collaborate on projects and help each other tap new markets and find investors. Through the international partnership between the SACC and ActSeed, we can help make sure entrepreneurs, investors and work-seekers in the US are aware of the opportunities emanating from and within Sweden while also helping entrepreneurs and investors in Sweden learn how to leverage ActSeed to participate in business creation and growth in the US.
You can learn more about the San Diego Swedish American Chamber of Commerce by clicking here.
Also, if you are involved with the San Diego SACC and are interested in joining ActSeed’s “Entrepreneur Group“, you can use discount code “SDSACC12″ to receive a 10% discount on either a monthly or annual membership.
If you are an investor from Sweden and want to find startups or small businesses in the US in which to invest, please join ActSeed’s “Investor Group” and start tracking deals; it takes about 15 minutes to get set up and costs nothing for the investor.
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ActSeed partners with peerbackers
Monday, March 7th, 2011ActSeed is proud to be a collaborative partner with peerbackers.
Crowdfunding is becoming a popular approach for inventors and entrepreneurs to raise initial seed capital without incurring debt or giving up equity – a platform for essentially raising funds through donations from your own network and the crowdfunding community.
When you are trying to raise funds for your business or project, the task becomes much easier when you can demonstrate to your supporters that you are well-prepared to achieve your goals with the funding you seek. For this partnership, ActSeed has created discount codes for peerbackers users to join ActSeed’s Entrepreneur Group: “peerback11M” for a 10% discount on the monthly membership and “peerback11A” for a 25% discount on an annual membership.
Sally Outlaw and Andrew Rachmell, the peerbackers cofounders, are seasoned entrepreneurs and have successfully partnered in the past to create and produce “The Next Wave with Leonard Nimoy”, a TV series was devoted to exploring innovative technologies for both start-ups and existing companies. Below, we share some insights from Sally about her experiences while building peerbackers.
Q. Describe your “Eureka Moment”.
A. When I heard about the first-ever British soccer club funded via the web (ie., through many people paying a small subscription fee), I was hit with the idea that this “funding by the crowd” approach could work for small business. I knew the market opportunity would be huge as finding capital is the #1 pain point for entrepreneurs.
Q. How did you fund the company to its current state?
A. We funded the company in part through crowdfunding ourselves! We thought it was the right thing to do since we were building a crowdfunding platform and we wanted to have firsthand experience with raising money this way – in part so we could be in the best position to understand the requirements and to advise those using our service when we launched. The remaining dollars were contributed by us, the two founding partners, as well as a no-interest loan ($5,000) from an Advisor. We were fortunate also in that we worked out a payment plan with our web development company so we could pay over time as we built out the site so we hustled every couple of months to come up with that quarter’s payment.
Q. ActSeed champions the need for solid planning and preparation from the very beginning. How important is planning and prep to your company’s success?
A. There was so much planning that went into our site development & launch as we had to think through the architecture of the site including all the ways our users would interact with our platform, as well as what functionality we as administrators would need to manage the projects & financial transactions occurring through our website. Now that we have successfully launched, our ongoing planning has primarily been focused on how many projects we need to attract to post on our site & how we are going to attract them in order to hit our financial numbers. This planning has consequently led us to reach out to specific partners (Universities, Community Programs, etc) who work with the types of entrepreneurs we cater to so we could form mutually beneficial referral relationships.
Q. How long did it take to get your idea into the market from initial concept to first customer?
A. Being an under-funded, boot-strapped start-up, it took longer than it could have of course to go from initial concept to first customer – I’d put it at about 1 year. Our development curve was as follows: 3 months to fully develop the concept including research on industry & competition and financials, another 3 months to build a simple mock-up site & to crowdfund through it to raise some capital (the crowdfunding part was a 60 day raise), 4-5 months to design, build out & test the fully functional website and launch.
Q. What influence have the internet and new media had on the way you are marketing, selling and supporting your products/services?
A. Our venture would simply not exist without the internet and new media. It is because of the viral nature of the internet & social networking that our site, and crowdfunding in general, has ignited. Crowdfunding works best when you have a crowd (!) or can attract one using all the new media tools (we have embedded numerous sharing tools into our site for entrepreneurs to use to promote their ventures).
Q. Describe the challenges you faced as you built your customer base, including defining the customer target, establishing the right price and pricing strategy and of course, closing the first few deals. What wisdom can you share with other entrepreneurs?
A. Defining our target customer was easy – entrepreneurs needing capital – especially those needing $25,000 or less (and there are hundreds of thousands annually in that market). Our biggest challenge has been in finding the right sort of entrepreneur to use our service – those that are social media savvy, creative, and willing to promote themselves. Believe it or not, about 75% of those that submit to our site to post for funding never even follow through – either with registering, posting or promoting their venture on the site – which, as a life-long dedicated entrepreneur, I found very disappointing. I’ve heard the term “Wannapreneurs” and I guess that would apply here…meaning if you are not passionate enough about what you do to follow through, to shout about it from the roof tops and tell everybody you know and ask for their support, then I say stop now! We’ve started to overcome this obstacle (of getting the right customers) through creating strategic partnerships with those that already work with our target market. In terms of the wisdom to share question – I guess the biggest mistake I see is start ups declaring a huge target market but not indicating what % of that market they intend to capture and how. They will go to a VC and announce they are in a “40 billion dollar market” but then will not define what part of that market they can engage and explain the strategy through which this will be accomplished. So, I’d suggest knowing this before pitching!
Sally with Amy Cosper, Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Magazine
Q. What techniques have you used to establish credibility in the eyes of customers, investors, partners, personnel and the general public?
A. I guess I’d say that we have established our credibility through our good customer service (led to great word-of-mouth and referrals), our relentless desire to help other entrepreneurs (as everyone can see how genuine we are in our efforts to support small business owners even when they are not our clients), and through the media attention we’ve received (for example being covered within 60 days of launch by both The Wall Street Journal and Entrepreneur Magazine). The technique we used for the media coverage was simply being scrappy. We did not hire a high-priced PR firm – I subscribed to HARO (Help A Reporter Out) as a source for journalists and built relationships with them, as well as I reached out to editors who were covering my topic (boot-strapping a business). Believe it or not – it works! (This is how we got covered by The Wall Street Journal – it started by an email I sent the editor).
Q. Have government, University, or other community / economic development programs been useful?
A. The most effective entities for us in this regard are the universities as we are beginning to establish working relationships with their business schools, entrepreneurial programs and clubs to offer their students and participants our funding solution for the ventures they are trying to launch.
Q. What is the most important thing people never tell you about joining or founding an early-stage company?
A. That you have to make everything happen. As an entrepreneur with a good idea for a product or service, you tend to think that the world is waiting for you…but they’re not. Getting going & noticed requires a constant investment of energy & resources…you have to have an incredible and endless amount of drive. Even on the days when you score big wins, you can often feel like – as you sleep – your venture is losing ground! BUT the good news is that with enough hard work & dedication eventually someone will hear about you and step up – whether it is an investor, an advisor, a media source, a big partner or customer and then your business can rock-n-roll!
Q. Is there anything else you’d like to share that we didn’t ask you in the questions above?
A. Find a co-founder (it’s hard working alone and you will need varied skill sets). Make something that people want.
ActSeed Teams with Founders Space
Monday, November 15th, 2010Often, founders seek a quick piece of advice on a particular subject. …not a full-blown consulting arrangement, but a chance to “bend the ear of someone who’s been there and done that”.
Sometimes, founders want to pick the brains of their peers on a given topic, too.
ActSeed is glad to promote Founders Space as a channel for assistance from people with experience in building and funding companies. Post your question and Founders Space will tap one of their advisors to provide the answer. Not only should you receive the guidance you seek, but the answer will be added to the Founders Space database so other entrepreneurs can benefit from the information.
In addition to the online advisor forum, Founders Space has launched Founders Space Roundtables – monthly events in select cities where an expert presents a featured topic and then the participants break into smaller groups for peer discussion related to the topic. Founders Space plans to launch these roundtables throughout the US, starting with San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, Chicago and Houston (coming in January 2011). In order to join a Roundtable, you must be a founder or C-level executive at a growth-oriented startup or emerging company, or you can be an advisor with specific knowledge of the topic being discussed.
Founders Space is spearheaded by Silicon Valley startup vets Steve Hoffman, Publisher & Cofounder, and Naomi Kokubo, Editor & Cofounder. The Founders Space Roundtables are produced by Lyne Noella and Peter Seidel of WavePlay.
Entrepreneurs and Service Providers affiliated with Founders Space are eligible for special discounts on ActSeed’s premium group memberships. When joining the Entrepreneur Group or Service Provider Group, you can apply the discount code FSpace2011A for a 25% discount on annual memberships or FSpace2011M for a 10% discount on monthly memberships. These discounts are valid for group registrations through December 31, 2011 and will remain valid through each renewal period as long as you maintain your membership without cancellation.
ActSeed is glad to have earned a spot as one of Founders Space’s Helpful Organizations!
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Startup Circle for San Diego Entrepreneurs
Thursday, October 14th, 2010ActSeed’s “online community” for entrepreneurs is dramatically enhanced by the presence of local entrepreneur communities – active local groups that host seminars, roundtable meetings, speaker series and provide a venue for entrepreneurs to congregate for networking, education and fellowship.
Often, these groups emerge and then dissipate. They are a chore to maintain. They demand lots of effort, often from a just few dedicated souls. Some have emerge and growing with a unique “staying power”, driven as much by the organized as by the organizers. Like most ventures, longevity is one reward of consistently delivering value.
One such local entrepreneur organization is Startup Circle, which serves the San Diego area. Startup Circle is an active venue for entrepreneurs at all early stages of growth, but the focus is on entrepreneurs who are plowing through the “proof of concept” stage. This community provides access to mentors, networks and resources through monthly meetings, an active web site and a relentless commitment from its founder, Robert Reyes.
Robert champions building businesses through an architecture of trust above all else, although preparation and discipline are not too far behind. Startup Circle promotes business behavior that follows what he calls “The Dolphin Strategy”: a process for entrepreneurs to confront Machiavellian behaviors that can rapidly sink a small business culture that is similar to how dolphins avoid being devoured by sharks and other ocean predators. Applying collaborative strategies to local groups of entrepreneurs with common values and an established level of trust can lift each participant in the group.
ActSeed is proud to partner with Startup Circle and provide a resource for planning, preparation and engagement to the members of Startup Circle. Entrepreneurs and Service Providers affiliated with Startup Circle are eligible for special discounts on ActSeed’s premium group memberships. When joining the Entrepreneur Group or Service Provider Group, you can apply the discount code StartupCircle2011A for a 25% discount on annual memberships or StartupCircle2011M for a 10% discount on monthly memberships. These discounts are valid for group registrations through December 31, 2011 and will remain valid through each renewal period as long as you maintain your membership without cancellation.
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Step-Up Venture University: Entrepreneur Education for All Generations
Saturday, October 2nd, 2010ActSeed is excited to partner with Step-Up Venture University!
Step-Up Venture University (Step-Up VU) is a non-profit organization dedicated to global innovation through business education. Established in 2009 by Henry Shterenberg, a successful entrepreneur and adjunct professor at Bentley University, Step-Up Venture University is now expanding into career centers, school districts, and correctional facilities in Massachusetts in order to bring the fundamentals of entrepreneurship to underserved populations.
The partnership between Step-Up Venture University and ActSeed provides Boston-area entrepreneurs access to the academic resources of Step-Up VU and the global network and informational resources of ActSeed. First-time entrepreneurs combine the lessons learned through coursework at Step-Up VU with ActSeed’s online business community and “Entrepreneur’s Toolbox” of resources to build a stronger, more successful business.
Entrepreneurs and Service Providers affiliated with Step-Up Venture University are eligible for special discounts on ActSeed’s premium group memberships. When joining the Entrepreneur Group or Service Provider Group, you can apply the discount code SVU2010A for a 25% discount on annual memberships or SVU2010M for a 10% discount on monthly memberships. These discount codes can be applied through December 31, 2010 and the discount will remain valid for the life of your membership as long as you maintain the membership without cancellation.
To learn more about taking a course through Step-Up Venture University, visit their website.
More Information about Step-Up Venture University
Step-Up Venture University is a non-profit organization that provides aspiring entrepreneurs with the opportunity to gain exclusive insight and hands-on experience in the basics of entrepreneurship. Step-Up Venture University is committed to changing how business and life skills are taught, not only to youth, but also to first-time business owners, senior citizens, and others. This organization helps people follow their dreams, set their goals, develop their strengths, recognize the opportunities and pursue them.
Courses at Step-Up Venture University are taught by successful entrepreneurs who draw upon the years of experience they bring to the classroom. Whether you’re a high-school student planning a part-time venture to put yourself through college or a dentist about to start your own practice, Step-Up Venture University can give you the skills and knowledge to bring your ideas to reality.
Step-Up Venture University offers courses in the following:
- Leaders in Training: The world belongs to leaders, not followers. Develop your full potential with this course covering the fundamentals of leadership, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and goal setting. Designed for middle and high school students.
- Introduction to Entrepreneurship: Starting your own business can be daunting, that’s why we are here to help. Become confident enough to plan, start and run your own business with this course. Designed for people new to the field of entrepreneurship and high school students.
- From Idea to Reality: Everyone has a dream. Take yours to reality with this course. Learn the fundamentals of grounding your dreams in reality while making them come true. Designed for those who have a business idea and would like to implement it.
- Taking Business to the Next Level: Do you already own a business? Has the economy hit you especially hard? Learn what it takes to move your business to the next level in this course for business owners.
- First Time Over 55: It’s never too late to start. A course designed for seniors with entrepreneurial ambitions.
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Community Colleges on the Front Lines of Business Creation
Wednesday, May 19th, 2010Incubators within the community college environment are excellent venues to cultivate nascent businesses. About a week ago, we toured a shining example of how a community college district can play a direct role in new business creation and job creation.
We met with Gustavo Chamorro, Director of the Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Digital Media Center (“DMC”) and Dean Hopkins, the District’s Electronic Media Specialist. We applaud what Mr. Chamorro and Mr. Hopkins are doing for Santa Ana and the southern California area they cover. The facility is first class and running at capacity. Not only do they house promising startups, they have classroom and commercial-grade production facilities that enable students in the digital media field to collaborate with startup founders.
The facility is a great example of bringing funding together from federal, municipal and other local sources to create this state-of-the-art program.
ActSeed is exploring the positive impact that community colleges are making on entrepreneurship across the country, and we’re excited to be building a promising relationship with Mr. Chamorro and his team and designing a foundational approach for ActSeed to help serve community colleges and their entrepreneur programs across the US.
With over 70 community college districts and over 110 community colleges in California alone, there is an amazing opportunity to serve the needs of the small business community. The more all of us can engage them and support them, the more they can respond in kind. The DMC is at capacity and exploring how to help more startups beyond physical office space. We’re glad to be helping.
In summary, if you are looking for local resources to help you take your big idea and turn it into a big business, don’t overlook your local community college. If you are in the Santa Ana / Orange County area and building a digital media business, definitely check out the DMC.
You can find out more about the DMC and the resources they have to offer on their web site by clicking here.
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DMC Works!
Saturday, May 8th, 2010
ActSeed is proud to partner with the Rancho Santiago Community College District’s Digital Media Center (DMC).
The DMC business incubator offers a dynamic workspace for 10 to 15 emerging digital media companies accompanied by a wide variety of business support services. Established in August 2006, the DMC is the first facility of its kind in Orange County, California combining education and business in the digital media industry. The center was created to stimulate economic growth in Orange County by attracting emerging businesses to the area and providing educational programs in digital media arts.
The DMC-ActSeed partnership provides entrepreneurs and small business owners in the Santa Ana area with the facility-based resources at the DMC with ActSeed’s online business community and “Entrepreneur’s Toolbox” of resources. Together, the DMC and ActSeed can give emerging companies the best opportunity to compete and succeed.
Entrepreneurs and Service Providers affiliated with the DMC are eligible for special discounts on ActSeed’s premium group memberships. When joining the Entrepreneur Group or Service Provider Group, you can apply the discount code DMC2010A for a 25% discount on annual memberships or DMC2010M for a 10% discount on monthly memberships. These discounts are valid for group registrations through December 31, 2011 and will remain valid through each renewal period as long as you maintain your membership without cancellation.
The 28,000 square-foot, two-story center features a welcome center, business incubator for emerging digital media businesses; classrooms equipped with remote desktop connection software and production facilities that serve as the home of the Santa Ana College TV/Video department and SAC-TV.
The recently launched DMC Affiliate Program is an alternative to tenancy at the DMC facility. The Affiliate Program is available to qualifying early-stage entrepreneurial technology companies that can benefit from some of the DMC’s Business Incubator services without having to lease office space.
To learn more about becoming a DMC business incubator tenant or Affiliate Program member, please visit the DMC website or visit the facility at 1300 South Bristol St. (corner of West Wilshire Ave. and Bristol) in Santa Ana, California.
More About the Digital Media Center
The Digital Media Center (DMC), an economic development program of Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD) and a Santa Ana College (SAC) instructional center, joins technology, business and education under one roof. The DMC was made possible through a $1.6 million U.S. Department of Commerce grant facilitated by the WRJ Group, land donated by the City of Santa Ana and Measure E funds. The DMC features a RSCCD-hosted business incubator nurturing digital media companies and college programs and seminars in the digital media arts, TV/video and business.
The DMC business incubator offers the following specialized business support resources and services:
- Competitive lease rates;
- High-speed network infrastructure, wireless Ethernet and a centralized server room;
- Business mentoring services such as legal consultation, patent specialists, research and development grants and venture capital groups;
- One-on-one counseling in basic business practices, marketing/advertising, human resources, accounting, web and promotional design through resources, including the Orange County Small Business Development Center (OCSBDC) and the TriTech SBDC;
- Networking opportunities with other entrepreneurial technology businesses;
- On-site educational classes and seminars to enhance your working knowledge of business basics;
- Opportunities to work with graphic design students to improve communication media.
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