Trendsetters with Jesse Kay

Jeff Hoffman is a successful entrepreneur, proven CEO, worldwide motivational speaker, published author, Hollywood film producer, and even the producer of a Grammy-winning jazz album. He has been part of a number of well-known companies and billion-dollar startups, including Priceline.com. uBid.com, ColorJar, and more.

Jeff now spends most of his time mentoring entrepreneurs, and in this episode he shares valuable tools that the most ambitious and hard-working individuals in Gen Z (that’s you!) can use to design their own future through entrepreneurialism.

Driven by Desire

Jeff isn’t driven by some innate entrepreneurial trait – his entrepreneurialism stems from wanting something he doesn’t have, which no one will give to him.

So it isn’t about simply being born an entrepreneur, but instead having a goal that requires a lot of work hard to achieve.

For example, Jeff started his first company on the second day of college. He went to a school that he couldn’t afford (Yale), but he wanted that degree and there was no other way to get it. His only options were giving up (which wasn’t really an option) or buckling down and making some money, because no one else was going to give it to him.

Over the years, Jeff has noticed that this is a trend: the most successful entrepreneurs are driven by a goal greater than their income.

Failure is Part of the Process

If you never fail, you’re just not pushing hard enough; people that push the edge trip and fall.

You shouldn’t necessarily celebrate failure, but you should accept it, shake it off, and keep going.

Networking is Necessary

You won’t get far in any industry if you don’t have connections, and that means you have to go meet people. You won’t meet people sitting in your dorm, at home, or at your desk.

Just showing up isn’t enough – you have to be engaged and listen, and not just at networking events. You should build your network all the time, everywhere you are.

You will probably have to get out of your comfort zone, but that’s okay – if you’re driven by a goal greater than yourself, you’ll put in the work.

At Launch: Focus on a Short-Term Plan, Create Long-Term Architecture

Startup founders generally need to focus on the first two years before they concern themselves with years three, four, and five. If they don’t perform well in those first two years, they won’t have a third.

However, founders also need to lay down a solid foundation for growth. Think about scale, and make sure the architecture you put in place will allow it… but don’t worry about implementing it until you have a small business.

Resources:

Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn

Learn more about http://colorjar.com/ (ColorJar)

Alex Charfen is a proud member of a band of brothers and sisters that includes Einstein, Oprah, and Edison – and many people like YOU join this tribe of entrepreneurs every day.

We are born with a unique set of gifts and issues that will, for better or for worse, drive us for all of our lives: Entrepreneurs will chase momentum, and even long for it; they will have a hard time fitting into the systems built for everybody else; and, in the end, if they survive and are able to stay unmedicated and unincarcerated, they will likely change the world.

Throughout Alex’s http://www.charfen.com/blog/free-ebook/ (free ebook) and podcast, both called The Entrepreneurial Personality Type, he dives into this idea and offers incredible value for anyone who can relate to it.

Resources:

Learn more at http://www.charfen.com/ (Charfen.com)

Listen to The Entrepreneurial Personality Type podcast

Download The Entrepreneurial Personality Type ebook for FREE

Production & Development for the 20 Under 20s Podcast by Podcast Masters

Aaron Easaw, at the age of 19, is currently the youngest General Partner in the world. As Founder and General Partner at ACE General Capital, Aaron focuses on investing in the best entrepreneurs under 30 years old... what's really interesting, though, is the journey that led him there. It all ties into his mantra: "Age doesn't define ability."

You will discover…

What venture capitalists do.

What Mark Cuban taught Aaron about the world of venture capital.

Why ACE operates as more of a Co-Founder than an investor.

Resources:

Connect with Aaron: Twitter | LinkedIn

Learn more about ACE Venture Capital

Production & Development for the 20 Under 20s Podcast by Podcast Masters

Today we’re sharing an episode from Teens of America Radio featuring Jesse and a previous guest of this podcast, Ben Stern, the Founder of Nohbo who was featured on Shark Tank and accepted a $100,000 investment from Mark Cuban.

You will learn...

How Ben came up with Nohbo, the world's first single-use eco-friendly shampoo product, and founded it with his grandmother.

What it’s like to get on Shark Tank and then have Mark Cuban as an investor.

Why Ben is pro-education and pro-entrepreneur.

The episode wraps up with Jesse’s special segment: “Turning Your Difference into a Superpower (to Make a Difference).”

Resources:

Learn more and send Ben an email at NohboBall.com

Watch Ben on Shark Tank:

Season 7 Episode 18

NOHBO Shark Tank Update - Benjamin Stern - Deal: Mark Cuban - Season 7

What’s the future of ethereum, bitcoin, litecoin, ripple, and other major cryptocurrencies?

Paul McNeal is a bitcoin evangelist, and he helps us answer some questions about the past and future of cryptocurrencies.

We discuss…

Why investing (but not day trading) in these currencies is probably a good bet.

The creator of bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, and their disappearance.

Why cryptocurrencies are valuable for merchants accepting payments.

Resources:

Connect with Paul: Facebook | LinkedIn

Read Satoshi Nakamoto’s White Page on Bitcoin

Follow “the bitcoin oracle” Vinny Lingham

Research Bitcoin: Coinigy.com | Cointelegraph.com | CoinDesk.com | Bitcoinist.com

Production & Development for the 20 Under 20s Podcast by Podcast Masters

Jason Wong is a 19-year-old entrepreneur and social media influencer who has amassed more than 2M followers. Today he owns a digital marketing agency plus several ecommerce stores, and his companies are projected to make $12M in revenue this year.

The Value of School

Looking back at school, Jason is glad he went because it taught him discipline, time management, and social skills that he was lacking beforehand. All of these transferable skills him get to where he is now.

Marketing & The Meme Bible

Jason leverages his social media influence to grow his businesses and market products. He likes to to make content that is interesting enough to go viral because it saves marketing costs and allows the product or brand to grow organically.

The Meme Bible is a meme coloring book that highlights this strategy, in both subject and marketing. During the book’s first seven days on the market, Jason was able to leverage his, at the time, 1.4M followers (mostly on Tumblr) to generate $100k in revenue.

The book has grown into a brand and, later this year, they’ll be releasing three new meme-related products, including a meme cookbook.

Hey, Entrepreneurs: Start Early

“Even if you only have an idea today, it’s better than having nothing tomorrow.”

Resources:

Connect with Jason: JasonWong.co | Tumblr | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

The Holy Méme Bible

Today we’re sharing an episode of the Access Your Success hour on Teens of America Radio that Jesse co-hosted with Sean Mulroney.

The co-hosts interview http://www.dylangambardella.com/ (Dylan Gambardella), Co-Founder of the Next Gen Summit, about growing the Next Gen community, why collaboration trumps competition, and balancing entrepreneurship with college.

Resources:

Listen to Teens of America Radio

Connect with Dylan: Website | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn | https://www.facebook.com/DylanGambardella (Facebook)

Learn more about the Next Generation Summit at ngsummit.com

Collaboration > Competition

“The way to the most success possible, for any individual, is never going to be through pure competition.” –Dylan Gambardella

Success follow people who give significantly more than they ask or take.

Too much of business, and live, is transactional. People are often only willing to offer something if they are offered something in return; it’s all quid pro quo.

However, you want your relationships to be friendships – not transactions. This is what surfaces relationships that have true value, and it paves the way towards true collaboration.

Do you have an awesome idea for business?

An idea is a good start, but the challenge is executing on that idea and taking the first few steps. Today’s guest will help you take your first step.

Stacey Ferreira is an incredible entrepreneur – who, at the age of 24, has already founded two successful companies (and sold one) – and co-author of 2 Billion Under 20: How Millennials Are Breaking Down Age Barriers and Changing the World.

Founding Two Businesses Before 25

In 2011, Stacey Co-Founded My Social Cloud, an SSO company whose investors include Sir Richard Branson, Jerry Murdock, and Alex Walsh. In 2013, My Social Cloud was acquired by Reputation.com, where she worked before going back to college.

She is currently the CEO of Forge, an enterprise scheduling software that empowers employees to pick the hours that they work at retail and restaurant locations across the U.S.

Dropping Out of College to Run a Business

Originally, Stacey was running My Social Cloud and going to college. After her Freshman year, it was clear that she had to choose between running the business full-time or the investors replacing her.

She dropped out, and she doesn’t regret the decision at all. It allowed her to grow the business and, ultimately, be the youngest female tech entrepreneur to successfully make an exit.

Forge

While working on 2 Billion Under 20, Stacey noticed a trend in a lot of the new jobs being created: people have flexible hours, and the specific hours they work aren’t important as long as the job gets done.

But Stacey saw a hole in the market. 58% of the American population works a traditional hourly job. So how can those people experience the same flexibility?

Most of these people work at a specific location, so the only way they can get flexibility is through the hours they work. Stacey believes that this flexibility in hours is a macro trend that will only increase, and she’s capitalizing on it early.

Day-to-Day Operations

A lot of the first year was pitching and financing.

After securing financing, they had to hire engineers to make the software a reality.

Since then, 90% of her time is spent doing product management: making sure they have the right product-market fit and everyone on the team is aligned with the same goals.

The rest of her time is spent doing customer development and sales. That means marketing campaigns, events for small businesses in localized areas, customer support, and demos for larger clients.

Resources:

Connect with Stacey: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Are you familiar with fidget spinners? Yeah?

Did you know the trend was started by two high school seniors?

Allan Maman and Cooper Weiss are the Co-Founders of Fidget360. They made $15,000 in the first week of fidget spinner sales... and that was just the beginning.

The Origin Story

Allan and Cooper didn’t invent fidget spinners, but they’re the first people to see the opportunity and their marketing kicked off the trend.

They produced their first spinners on the 3D printers in their high school, but they didn’t receive any support from the administration.

They used the profit from their first week to buy another 3D printer, started making more nonstop, and things have taken off from there.

Promoting a New Product

They started promoting fidget spinners on social media. First it was just their own Instagram account, but they quickly created an ad and started paying other people to promote the product on their pages.

Paid promotion on Instagram got hundreds of thousands of views, and the focus on social media seems to be paying off. 99% of Fidget360 traffic goes through social media, and about 80% of it has come through Instagram.

Dealing with Knockoffs & Keeping Market Majority

The profit margin on a fidget spinner is incredibly high. They only cost $1-2 to create, but their competitors were selling them for around $20.

Fidget360 started by undercutting the market with $15 spinners, which still leaves a healthy margin.

They also have other companies in different names selling similar products that are, ultimately, still produced by Fidget360.

Looking Into the Future

They don’t expect the business to last long term. By capitalizing on the trend until it’s dead, they can build up a sizeable investment for one of their other business ventures.

Resources:

Connect with Fidget: Fidget360.com | @Fidget360

Connect with Allan: AllanMaman.com | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn

Connect with Cooper: CooperWeiss.com | Instagram | Facebook

Production & Development for the 20 Under 20s Podcast by Podcast Masters

Manu “Swish” Goswami is incredible. He is an award-winning serial tech entrepreneur and innovator who, at 20 years old, has already founded and sold multiple companies.

During this Q&A, we discuss…

How Swish puts out so much awesome content every week

The best way to to connect with people

Higher education

Learn more at www.20under20s.com