15: Interview with Harrison Freeman from Out Of Uni

In this blog post we interview Managing Director, Harrison Freeman of Out Of Uni (otherwise known as OOU), the company that specialises in recruiting students & graduates with that extra ‘spark’ .

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What kind of business do you run? When did you start it and where is it based?

Out Of Uni is a recruitment agency that specialises in recruiting Students and Graduates. We noticed that there was too much negativity from employers around employing Students and Graduates. Employers often overlook all of the benefits of hiring fresh-minded, young people into their companies.

The words people use to describe Students and Graduates often resemble “a lack of common sense, immature & lazy”. At Out Of Uni, we aim to prove these prejudice views wrong.

Case studies are all around us, Students and Graduates demonstrate their unique ability to study and develop in areas they enjoy. Life isn’t just about a lifestyle, around a job that you’re supposed to hate. Times are changing; we all need to become a little less traditional.

We are currently based in Bradford, West Yorkshire but we serve the whole of the United Kingdom. We are able to do this because of the technology we use. We started business in October 2015.

What inspired you to start this business?

Similarly to the mentioned above, there are too many traditional views from the grumps and sceptics. In the UK, we are doing well as a country because we continue to evolve and develop ourselves into a more efficient culture. However, some people fail to notice that they need to keep up. They often realise too late, that they’ve missed opportunities because they seemed too ‘risky’.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.

I’ve always been an entrepreneur. It’s in my blood. Nobody can tell me different. I’ve found that you have to be very stubborn as an entrepreneur because people tend to dislike our personalities. Mainly, because it takes confidence to do something different so others get jealous because people are just being people.

It all began in infant school where I would often devise ways to make money and target my peer’s lack of value for money. I once sold a kid the same toy 7 times in the same day just by buying it back from him time and time again! Growing up I was always more interested in running businesses than my studies. Although I did well in school, I was always distracted. I would prioritise my businesses before anything else, which would often mean getting my work done in 10 minutes flat so I had the rest of the lessons to sneakily work on my businesses. I’ve sold bed sheets, ran websites, phone-chargers, networks & everything, you name it! Anything that I had a potential to make money, I did it.

One of my biggest achievements was when I sold my first business for £14,500 at 15 when everybody around me wouldn’t support me.

I’ve come to realise being an entrepreneur is a part of me and isn’t something that can be ignored. That’s why I consider myself being successful. It’s not about blowing one’s trumpet but it’s about helping people along the way.

‘A wise man learns from his mistakes but a wiser man learns from others’.

I’ve seen you recommend Rocketlawyer on a forum. Tell me more about them.

Most businesses start from nothing, usually with a budget of nothing as well. This means making every penny count; Rocket Lawyer helps that. It’s a very cost effective way of easily generating formal documents needed in a business. Of course in the later stages of running a business investing in a real Lawyer is very important but we all have to remember that to build a business, you have to have a business, and to have a business you need to make money. You can’t spend thousands on a lawyer on an idea that is just an idea. I always say ‘It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission’ and that’s got me this far. So long as you’re not going to tie yourself in knots, get sent to jail and end up owing thousands… don’t worry too much about the super fine detail, otherwise you’ll never even get your business off the ground. We all make mistakes and we all learn – we’re human, but having a business in the first place is better than not having a business at all.

I’m becoming more cynical as I get older, I’ve realised that you should only ever invest in something that’s going to profit your business not be a hindrance to it. Sometimes it does take a little bit of a chance and a bit of risk but you need to ask yourself ‘Am I really going to make money from this?’, ‘Can I support a family on this business’?, ‘Am I going to be able to buy that supercar at 25 years old?’. There’s nothing wrong with thinking big but you just need to make sure you do the hard work to get there.

I’ve seen the job listings link to another website. Do you plan to have your own job database in the future?

Being such a new start-up, it means that we’re not going to have thousands of jobs straight away; we’ve just solved this problem by allowing an ease of access to our users, to search for available jobs from other places as well under strict guidance.

Our services do not rely entirely on the website itself, it is more of a marketing placeholder and a database for everything. Because we are a mix between an active recruitment agency and an online portal, it means we have a broad range of services. We only allow candidates onto our databases that have gone through our rigorous, shortlisting process. We certainly don’t want to take a ‘scattergun’ approach to our services. We’re just trying to generate a larger social presence unlike a lot of traditional recruitment agencies.

How will you make money with the website?

The website itself doesn’t make money. Like I mentioned above, it’s more of a placeholder to attract our audience and clients from around the world. We get paid similarly to the way other recruitment agencies get paid, where we take a small commission on the first years annual wage so there is no cost to the employer while the candidate is put on a recommended 6 month probationary period. So it’s a win-win, the candidate gets a job and the employer gets the right employee.

I like the design of the website. Did you do it yourself?

Yes and no. I have had a lot of years experience in the website design industry and I’ve come to the conclusion ‘why re-invent the wheel?’. So I used a template from the well known Themeforest (which I recommend highly). I have used my knowledge and keen eye to improve on a few things to give it that added ‘umph’! I find that in the present day, it’s about bringing everything that fits together, rather than designing everything from scratch – especially on tight budgets.

What is your experience with LinkedIn?

I love LinkedIn and recommend it to anybody. LinkedIn is different to other networking sites contrary to the criticism it often receives. Things are changing and people need to open their eyes. LinkedIn is a source for genuine networking opportunities; people are on there for the right reason, not just because they want to post pictures of pets. Often, if anybody is caught using it like Facebook, people are often called out, much like Reddit.

It’s a very useful tool but has to be used wisely. My biggest tip to our readers is to fill out your profiles completely, don’t leave it to chance and let people guess why they need you. You’re selling yourself at the end of the day.

Do you use any productivity tools?

Currently I do not, I have found it hard to find a cost-effective way to consolidate everything together. We just use Google Calendar, Dropbox & e-mail for now until we find a resource that will enable us to work more efficiently. I just don’t think any system has ticked all the right boxes at the moment. I’d want to be able to track a candidate/employer start to finish with a full audit trail such as calls, e-mail, profiling etc. So until then, I’ll hold off and use more traditional systems.

To learn more about this project please visit OutOfUni.com.

14: Interview with copywriter Mish from Mortified Cow

Today we’ll pick the brain of another copywriter! I interviewed Londoner Mish from Mortified Cow who works and lives around the world.

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What kind of business do you run? When did you start it?

I run a two-person copywriting agency called Mortified Cow. (The other person is my husband!) We work while we travel the world as digital nomads. We both have backgrounds in copywriting, but before Mortified Cow we were regular employees at London-based companies. After quitting our jobs in 2012, we started writing for clients on Elance (now Upwork) and worked our way up from there.

What inspired you to start this business?

We were struck by how samey the words on most company websites are: they’re all “focused on your success”, they talk about how they have “the solutions for you” and will “deliver the results you need” – usually “whether you’re a large, medium or small business”. Everyone sounds the same – from lawyers and accountants to web designers and life coaches. More importantly, though, their words feel insincere and meaningless. (No reader ever thinks, “Oh wow… this company says they’re ‘passionate about customer service’. I’ve GOT to hire them!”)

We wanted to help businesses set themselves apart from the competition through personalityful, attention-grabbing text that actually says something meaningful. As a result, we help them reach their dream customers, and we make sure those customers feel like they couldn’t work with or buy from anyone else.

Does your business generate enough money to support you?

Yes. My writing can make all the difference to my clients’ businesses, and what I earn is a reflection of that.

This wasn’t always the case, though! When I started out on Elance, I was charging something like $100 for huge, week-long projects. And then once I came off the Elance platform, I was still charging very little for my work. If I had the chance to go back and do it all again, I don’t think I would (or indeed could) change things: clients were taking a chance by working with a newbie, and I didn’t have the knowledge or writing skills that I have now.

Which resources to run your business do you use most?

Google Docs is the biggie. All my writing is done in Google Docs.

Mixmax is a great little Chrome extension for Gmail. I use it to track email opens (useful for making sure my emails are received!), and to provide an easy way for people to schedule calls with me.

What is your single best non-obvious tip for running a business?

When starting out as a freelancer or entrepreneur, cut out all the “faffing around the edges”. You don’t need a business card, you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on a website, and you don’t need a plan to handle a zillion customers.

All you need is a clear description of the problem you solve, and your first three customers (by any means necessary).

Don’t worry about scaling, branding, or anything else until you know that people will pay for your product/service.

What would you recommend to generate traffic to the website? Have you tried SEO companies?

Write a book! I recently published a book about business writing called May I Have Your Attention, Please?, and I’ve had so many enquiries as a result of it already.

I’m also a great fan of podcast interviews, blog interviews (like this one!), LinkedIn, forums, Facebook groups, and generally just being “out there” and helpful.

I’ve never used an SEO company for Mortified Cow.

How did you come up with the name of the company?

Unfortunately there’s no hilarious backstory about embarrassed cattle! But we chose the name because of what it says about us.

To a lot of people, it says, “We’re not serious enough for your Very Important Business. Go over there and talk to Platinum Corporate Solutions instead.”

But to a few other people – the ones we want to work with – it says, “We’re going to write something that really puts across the excitement and uniqueness of your business – and we’re going to have fun doing it.”

Do you think that Social Media such as Twitter or Facebook are good marketing tools?

Yes, but they shouldn’t be your only marketing tools: you need to be in many places at once to both increase brand awareness and reach as many people as possible. Yes – be on social media. But be in other places, too.

How competitive is your industry?

Extremely competitive! The problem with copywriting is that too many people think they can do it. They fail to realise that copywriting is very different from “being able to write a sentence on a page”!

The upside is that it’s fairly easy to differentiate yourself from these kinds of writers and charge far more money than them. Not everyone will want to pay your fees, but that’s OK: the ones who gasp at your prices probably won’t appreciate your skills and expertise. The right clients will know you’re worth it, and they’ll be willing to pay a premium to work with you.

What is the best way to publish a book in your view? What do you think of Lulu?

I’ve published a few books around the topics of digital nomadism and business writing, and I’ve always used CreateSpace for paperbacks (and Kindle Direct Publishing for Kindle books).

CreateSpace royalties are the most generous to self-publishers (compared to other self-publishing platforms), and the process of uploading a book and having it available on Amazon is pretty seamless. It’s been a while since I looked into Lulu as an option, but I’m happy with CreateSpace at the moment.

Tell us more about being a digital nomad. Pros and Cons? Where are you at the moment?

We’re in rainy old London at the moment! It’s where we’re from originally, and we’re here for boring admin-related reasons before heading off again next month.

We tend to spend between one and two months in a different city before moving somewhere new. It seems like a lot of effort, but it’s actually pretty easy: we each have a 45L backpack of belongings (clothes, toiletries, tech, etc.), and that’s all we need. It’s an amazing feeling to head off to a new city with everything you could possibly need in a small bag on your back.

We always stay in Airbnb apartments, and yeah… it’s a pretty fun lifestyle! We get to see the world at our own pace, and we’re able to experience living like locals rather than trying to squeeze a ton of attractions into a weekend trip. We have lots of digital nomad friends, so there are always at least a few people we hang out with in each destination.

We haven’t experienced too many downsides to digital nomadism, although we get very broody for puppies and kittens! We do know some people who travel with dogs, but it looks like a whole world of hassle – and not all that fun for the dogs.

Mish’s newest book

Tell us about your other books you wrote.

There’s Travel Like A Pro, which helps digital nomads find flights, book accommodation, and understand their visa and insurance options.

Then there’s also Travel While You Work, which is all about helping digital nomads get settled in a new destination in super-quick time. It also provides heaps of advice and resources for running a business, hiring staff, managing a team, etc. while travelling the world. (We also run a property management agency, so we have a lot of experience in all this!)

My husband and I also wrote Protect Your Tech together, which is a geek-free guide to having a secure and private digital life.

May I Have Your Attention, Please? is my most recent book, and it’s aimed at a completely different market: business writers who want to charm, captivate and convert potential customers through the power of the written word.

There are a few other “fun” books, but those are the main ones!

Do you have a base in London? Where do you pay taxes?

Yes, we have a base in King’s Cross. We’re UK residents, and we pay all our taxes here.

In which countries have you lived so far? Any favorites?

My favourite is and always will be New York: I’m obsessed with the place. Close second (and my husband’s first choice) is Bangkok. The food, the people, the smells, the excitement… it’s a fantastic place. We’re also huge fans of Barcelona.

If someone wants to hire you what would be the process?

Visit Mortifiedcow.com, check us out and send us a message! If you want to see examples of our work, I have a snazzy new portfolio that I’m desperate to share.

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Rob & Mish

13: Interview with copywriter Ian Chandler

Today we don’t feature a business owner but copywriter Ian Chandler from WritingLaunch.com. I hugely enjoyed this interview and so will you I hope!

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Are there any blogs, podcasts or Facebook Groups about entrepreneurship you follow closely?

Quicksprout is one of my favorite blogs, and it’s the only blog I follow on a regular basis. It’s consistently informative, one of the few blogs I’d describe as “actionable.” Others, like Copyblogger, I read whenever I’m in a rut or want new insights into a certain aspect of copywriting.

Do you read any discussion forums about business?

The Entrepreneur subreddit is an interesting place. It’s a nice assortment of entrepreneurial topics; there’s everything from building email lists to book recommendations. The disadvantage is that you have to self-curate what you read, but there are definitely some diamonds in the rough.

Which resources to run your business do you use most?

I rely on Gmail, Google Docs, Todoist, and Tomato Timer. I could probably eliminate all of my other resources if I had to. Todoist helps me organize my days, and Tomato Timer is a timer for the Pomodoro Technique. All of these tools keep me in a good routine, which is vital for me.

Does your business generate enough money to support you?

Perhaps surprisingly, it does. I’m not exactly sure where I am on the freelancing spectrum, but I do make enough to support myself. It does get tough sometime because I have such an erratic pay schedule. Freelancers talk about feasts and famines, and that’s definitely true for me. Some weeks, I’m getting paid for three articles, and other weeks, I’m waiting anxiously for my next payment. That’s one of the hardest elements of freelancing.

Do you think that social media such as Twitter or Facebook are good marketing tools?

To an extent. I don’t personally use either because, for me, the negatives outweigh the positives. I use Reddit because it has great job opportunities and LinkedIn because it’s a professional network. Reddit is one of the few sites that offer a casual-meets-professional situation. Twitter and Facebook are both extremely casual, and if you’re a businessperson, you won’t be able to match the tone 100% of the time. So that can hurt your engagement. Now, advertising is a different story; I’ve heard Facebook advertising is lucrative. Again, I haven’t done it myself. I like the “network” part of social networks; Twitter and Facebook are social first and a network second.

What would you recommend for new copywriters? How should they get started?

I would recommend researching every aspect of content marketing. That means creating the content itself and then learning how to share it through various channels. This can be any form of social media––Twitter, blogs, Pinterest, etc. Learning how to write the content is only half the battle, as Neil Patel points out. Marshall McLuhan said “the medium is the message,” and that’s spot on. If you share a post on Twitter and LinkedIn, you’ll get drastically different results.

Places like Copyblogger, Moz, BoostBlogTraffic, Quicksprout, and Kissmetrics are all great for the beginning copywriter. Neil Patel and David Ogilvy are two content geniuses that every writer should study. Then, go to blogs you read and study that content. See what makes content great and emulate that.

What is your single best non-obvious tip for working as a copywriter?

Listen to instrumental music while working. I can’t remember the last time I worked in silence. A soft, non-intrusive musical backdrop helps my ideas flow better, and it relaxes me. Classical music is also a wonderful choice.

What would you recommend to generate traffic to the website? Have you tried SEO companies?

I haven’t tried SEO companies, namely because I don’t think SEO is worth pursuing. I do make sure I’m good for basic SEO, but I don’t focus on it. It’s still important, don’t get me wrong, but it’s best used in conjunction with other traffic-generating methods. Sharing content in online communities and keeping a blog are two of the most potent methods of getting traffic, but you have to do it right. Ideas like Seth Godin’s permission marketing come into play here.

How do you stay productive and not get distracted?

I use the Pomodoro Technique, and it’s done wonders for me. For those unfamiliar, you work for 25 minutes, take a 5-10 minute break, and then repeat until you’re done. Most Pomodoro practitioners use it to complete one task at a time, but I use it to refresh myself and make sure I’m not working too much. And I’m disorganized and take a lot of breaks by nature, so going Pomodoro has made me more productive than I had thought I could be.

Where is the best place to find work as a copywriter?

Lots of copywriters go through content mills to find work. Upwork is especially popular right now since it’s taken over Elance and oDesk. Fiverr is also popular. I was on Fiverr for a while. Content mills work, but they’re such a problematic path to continue on. It almost defeats the point of freelancing. You don’t get to set the terms or even what you work on.

I consult job boards and other online communities for jobs. I can talk to the business owner directly instead of going through a recruiter or third party. Countless copywriter are on Upwork or Fiverr as life support, and as a result, they’re undervaluing themselves. I avoid these at all costs, but they can be good if you know what to do.

The Problogger job board is usually a solid place for writing jobs. Reddit has been my number one source of jobs; it’s wonderful. Aside from that, I look at blogs and publications for jobs. Even if I only get one article published somewhere, that’s another connection and another opportunity to grow my business.

What is the best way to get paid?

Nothing beats straight up bank transfers or checks, if your clients are okay with that. I do use PayPal, but I’m phasing it out in favor of bank transfers. If clients want to pay with PayPal, I’ll accept, but the fees have grown to be too much of a loss for me. And since most processors charge fees, I’m not keen on them. That said, there is Dwolla, which I’m also thinking about using.

Do you use WordPress? Any plugins you can recommend?

WordPress and Shopify are the only two CMSs I use. WordPress is by far my most used. I love the MailChimp for WordPress plugin combined with the Top Bar plugin. Together, they can turn your site into a lead generation machine. I use Huge IT Portfolio Gallery for displaying my published work, and I’m really happy with the layouts it provides. Social Locker is another good one; it hides certain content, and you have to share the site or post on a social network to access the hidden content.

What is your experience with LinkedIn?

LinkedIn has a lot of potential energy, but so many people don’t use it. They want to be where their customers are––Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and so forth. And that’s fine, but they overlook LinkedIn as the boring site. It’s wonderful for making professional connections, and more importantly, being seen by thousands of peers. Their publishing platform, Pulse, is amazing and can generate substantial traffic. It’s one of the few free methods of getting page views that works like a charm.

To learn more about Ian please visit his website WritingLaunch.com and his book The No B.S. Guide to Freelance Writing.

12: Interview with Christine Lin from Yun Boutique

Today’s blog post features New Yorker Christine from Yun Boutique who makes hand-made jewelry.

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Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.

For nearly 10 years I worked in Arts & Culture journalism before moving on to work on building the jewelry business I share with my neighbor and partner Ariel Tian. Ariel’s background is in production management. Both of us began making jewelry as hobbyists. It seemed to be written in the stars when we met as neighbors. After realizing that we share a similar vision about the power of handcrafting, we decided to go into business together.

What kind of business do you run? When did you start it?

Yun Boutique is our handmade jewelry business. We launched our Shopify store on New Year’s Day this year, but Ariel started Yun Boutique on her own in 2013. After I joined on as partner in the latter half of 2015, the company grew and its brand identity began to rapidly solidify. Working as a partnership rather than a solo entrepreneur injected new energy into the enterprise.

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You design the jewelry, do you also manufacture it?

Everything is handmade with the exception of some metal parts that we source.

What inspired you to start this business?

Both Ariel and I practice Falun Dafa, an ancient Chinese meditation practice. Its core principles are truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, which practitioners hold themselves to in daily life. When Ariel began Yun Boutique in 2013, she had just taken up the practice again after a long hiatus, and wanted badly to share with the world her newfound sense of peace in a beautiful way. Falun Dafa meditation taps into millennia of self-cultivation traditions that existed in ancient China, and millions of practitioners all over the world have experienced the change in outlook and well-being that it brings.

Which resources to run your business do you use most?

We rely on the wonderful experts at Shopify and the third-party developers who designed our shop’s theme. Shopify more like an ecosystem than an e-commerce solutions company—the platform itself is an oak in the forest, supporting a wide array of talented designers, coders, and troubleshooters always ready and willing to help.

Another great resource, which we think is underutilized, is SCORE, the free business coaching arm of the Small Business Administration. Just speaking to a coach is like therapy for an overextended small business owner, not to mention that the coaches are all retired from long careers in their respective fields and harbor a wealth of knowledge.

What keeps you motivated to keep working on your business?

It still astounds us how overwhelmingly positive our customers’ feedback are. Every time we ship out an order, be it a pair of earrings, a necklace, or a hair accessory, in a week they come back with glowing reviews. This proves to us that Chinese culture and aesthetics really resonates with people, and that they feel the positive energy we put into our craft. It heartens us to know that with every order shipped, we’re introducing someone to the spiritual discipline that’s changed our lives for the better.

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What is your single best non-obvious tip for running a business?

When your to-do list is the length of your leg and screaming at you, ignore it. What’s most needed in these instances is perspective, not a jackhammer—especially because you’re responsible for the health of a business. One of the most helpful lessons I’ve learned from Falun Dafa’s teachings is that when you’re met with resistance, the key is to step back. As Master Li Hongzhi said, “when you take a step back in a conflict, you will find the seas and the skies boundless, and it will certainly be another situation.”

Do you have a Unique Selling Point?

We sure do! When we began looking at the market for Chinese jewelry, we noticed that it was divided into two extremes: souvenir-grade items, and fine jewelry made in Chinese ateliers that are actually Western in spirit and style. Nothing we found reflected the best of Chinese culture, which is deeply spiritual. The advice to creatives is to “write the book you wish to read,” right? We decided to make the jewelry we couldn’t find.

How did you come up with the name of the company?

“Yun” means “cloud” in Chinese. Clouds evoke faraway places, the realms high above, dreams and wishes, and the conduits between the earth and the heavens. For those reasons, clouds are also a classic motif in Chinese decorative arts. “Yun” embodies so much of what our brand stands for.

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How do you stay productive and not get distracted?

It’s important to work with, not against your most productive times of day. I find that I’m most creative and effective in the mornings and evenings, so I schedule tasks accordingly. Chinese medicine also says that the mid-afternoon (when you usually hit the slump) is the best time for physical exercise, so that’s when I take a walk and get recharged. To prevent distractions, I work off a daily task list, one’s that’s reasonably challenging so I don’t get overwhelmed and start procrastinating.

What are your future plans for the company?

There seems to be a renaissance of people becoming interested in Chinese culture beyond its relevance for international business. We plan to continue reaching more people who love Chinese culture and the arts. On our blog, we write about Chinese culture, jewelry, and design, and the response has been good so far.

Do you think that anybody could start a business?

We believe that anyone who has the passion and motivation to bring something really valuable to the world and their community could start a business. You can succeed if you really put the benefit of your customers above their own. Because we believe it is part of the principle of the universe: a spirit of generosity and a genuine concern for others are the first conditions for true success.

To learn more about Ariel’s & Christine’s jewelry please visit Yunboutique.com.

11: Interview with Heath Snoek from NetScope

Today we talk to Internet specialist Heath Snoek from NetScope.

What kind of business do you run? When did you start it and where is it based?

I run a business that does Internet & WAN application monitoring and control. It allows you to monitor, guarantee & block any application running across an Internet or WAN link. It is aimed at business. NetScope started development in 2005, but really kicked up a gear in 2014 when version 1.5 was released. NetScope is based in Sydney Australia.

What application would a company want to block? Could you give an example?

A company might want to block bittorrent for example. Bittorrent hides itself by using random ports and is hard to track without using deep packet inspection (which is how NetScope detects it). Skype also uses random ports and a company might want to protect that application so that it doesn’t have delays when other traffic hogs are using the network (such as Windows update, iTunes update for large file transfers).

Do you sell software or a service?

NetScope is sold as both a VMware virtual appliance (software) or a hardware appliance (a tower server or rack mountable server). We also do ‘Network Health Checks’ which we do as a service.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.

At the time of this writing. I’m a 36-year-old family man with three young boys. I have been in IT my a large part of my working career, with the exception of four years spent as an emergency department registered nurse. I have particular passion for networking and Linux.

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What inspired you to start this business?

I believe the only true way to be creative and free is to start your own business. As long as it is something you already enjoy, why not turn it into something that could make you a living?

What is your daily routine of running your business?

At the start of the day it usually involves answering emails. I then usually spend the first couple of hours on marketing (unless we have a big marketing drive on and then I spend a few more hours each day on that). I will then move on to sales calls, following up on leads. I used to do a lot more research and development on NetScope but the team is big enough that I don’t need to be involved in that as much.

What are the best and worst parts of running your business?

The best part is easily the freedom and creativity to run things how you like (control freak at heart). The worst is when starting out not knowing if my product will be a hit with people.

Does your business generate enough money to support you?

Yes. I am very lucky in this regard. It not only supports me but a development team, accounting and money for marketing.

Are there any blogs, podcasts or Facebook Groups about entrepreneurship you follow closely?

https://www.reddit.com/r/Entrepreneur/
https://www.reddit.com/r/startups/

I used to follow blogs over at HubSpot but I have found that information becomes repetitive. Also, once you have learned quite a bit it becomes hard to find useful information.

Which resources to run your business do you use most?

I use Google Apps for work, Insightly as my CRM, Google Adwords, mainly. There are a couple of other tools I use now and again that probably aren’t worth mentioning.

What keeps you motivated to keep working on your business?

I really enjoy it. NetScope is well loved by all who use it, it is a product that has much more growth potential. I believe in NetScope’s usefulness right now and well into the future and I can only see good things to come.

What would you recommend new entrepreneurs? How to get started?

I would not quit the day job until proper due diligence on your product or idea has been done. There are plenty of ways to see if your product has a market, through market testing. Only when you can see a regular income stream would I recommend going full time. That is just me, though, I’m sure there are a lot of entrepreneurs that proves my example wrong.

Who do you think is the most accomplished entrepreneur you’ve met?

My father. He is my mentor, advice line and teacher. He is also an entrepreneur and has owned a software company called Turbosoft since 1985.

How important do you think is talent when starting a business?

Talent is important, but it is a very broad term. You need to be intelligent, hard-working and lucky to do well. I personally have at least one of those characteristics.

How much time do you spend running your business per day?

I generally do a normal 40 hour week, but I am often tinkering with things over the weekend and in the evening. I do have to juggle three kids with my wife who also works, so I don’t have an endless amount of free time.

You know you’re an entrepreneur when …

… you are sick of following silly ideas and orders from someone. You are willing to put your money where your mouth is and start things on your own.

Any books about entrepreneurship you can recommend?

I can’t say that I had read any outstanding books on entrepreneurship. I find that reading books on particular topics can really help increase your capacity in that area. In terms of categories here is a couple I have recently read and loved:

Smart Calling, The Dollarization Discipline, How to Write Seductive Web Copy, Freakonomics and Think Like a Freak.

What is your single best non-obvious tip for running a business?

I guess it would be make sure you have a toe in the water in every aspect of your business. For example, I got burnt early on by using a freelancer to create artwork for me and to work on my WordPress site. I ended up scrapping everything and learning WordPress, Photoshop & Illustrator and realised I was completely ripped off. So now I know a little too a lot about every aspect of the business, from research and development to marketing and sales.

What should you take into account when starting a business?

You need to make sure that you can commit to making it work. If you fail the lessons you will have learnt are invaluable and moving forward.

What was your experience setting up your company website?

As I mentioned earlier I initially set up a basic WordPress site and commissioned a graphic designer to come up with some artwork and to improve the site. That backfired, I lost time and money and it was all scrapped. I then took it on board myself and learnt that there are some fantastic paid WordPress themes that allow great control over your site look and feel, and that learning Illustrator really isn’t that hard and is incredibly useful for all types of things.

Can you recommend a company or designer who helped you build the website?

No! Especially to begin with. WordPress is so easy to use that it doesn’t make sense to pay someone else to create it for you. Don’t be afraid of paying a small amount for good plug-ins and themes. The professionalism you get from a great looking site will pay you back many times over.

Do you have a Unique Selling Point?

Yes. NetScope has Internet application monitoring and guarantees for business networks that no other competitor can compete with in a side to side comparison. BUT, and it is a big but, we cannot compete with some of the competitors on marketing spend. Our biggest competitor does not have a competing product, yet can outspend us on marketing 1000 to 1 in the same ad-space.

What would you recommend to generate traffic to the website? Have you tried SEO companies?

I have always considered SEO a bit of a black art. There seem to be tried and true methods for pulling traffic to your site, and ranking organically, but they are basically:
1. Having great shareable content that people find useful.
2. Have a lot of referral links from very popular websites.
I don’t know how an SEO company could know your industry intimately. So how could they write meaningful blog posts and drive organic traffic?

Do you think that anybody could start a business?

Of course not. But anybody who wants to start a business, has a useful skill and is willing to constantly learn stands a good chance. Talent, hard work and luck are also important.

Do you think that Social Media such as Twitter or Facebook are good marketing tools?

They haven’t paid off for my business yet. I cover the main social media networks because I think it is important to appear active and communicate with the public. If you are selling consumer goods then I think Facebook would be great (I’ve always wanted to play B2C) but for NetScope it has been a dead end. Of course, this could be because I have not done the marketing correctly.

Do you think making decisions on a gut feeling is a good idea?

Data is always better than gut feeling.

Do you think it is a good idea to start a business with a friend?

Only if you want to lose them as a friend.

Please visit NetScope to learn more about Heath Snoek’s Internet company.