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The Entrepreneurship Chronicle :: May 2010 Issue :: 57 |
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Dear [fname],
Welcome to the Entrepreneurship Chronicle! I hope you have made progress on your entrepreneurial vision and that you gain value from this issue of The Entrepreneurship Chronicle!
Entrepreneurially Yours,
Ryan P. Allis, CEO
iContact Corp.
2635 Meridian Parkway
Durham, NC
www.iContact.com
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Table of Contents
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Social Entrepreneurs of the Month
Kinder Soles
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Two Raleigh entrepreneurs are joining the worldwide "shoe shortage movement" this month when they launch Kinder Soles, a socially-responsible flip-flop company designed to donate a pair of gently-used shoes for every pair sold. According to Soles4Souls, a nationally-renowned nonprofit and the company's charitable partner, Americans throw away at least 300 million pairs of shoes each year that end up rotting in our own landfills. Meanwhile, the U.S. government estimates that 300 million children around the world have never owned a pair of shoes.
Kinder Soles, co-founded by Mark Saad and Chris Smith, incorporates a buy-one, give-one business model to sell a new flip-flop that combines classic design style with recycled materials and better ergonomics. Each pair of sandals is made of repurposed material from the rubber sole to the leather upper. Kinder Soles will retail for $49.99 after donation rebate.
The partners developed the plan after seeing the need for better footwear in the developing world first hand and set out to make a better sandal for your feet and for the earth.
You're also invited to the Kinder Soles brand launch party at Tir Na Nog in downtown Raleigh on May 20 featuring live music from Big Fat Gap 6 - 9 p.m. Become a Kinder Soles fan on Facebook and check out their website at www.kindersoles.com for more information.
(To learn more or get involved visit: www.kindersoles.com )
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Social Good With Market Returns at Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship
Ryan Allis
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I'm in Oxford, England today for the first full day of the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship. I'm making great connections with investors who care about social impact equally to financial returns and learning how iContact can be a more socially responsible enterprise.
Our vision for iContact is to "Build a great global company based in North Carolina for our customers, employees, and community."
So I'm here to 'go to school' for three days on how to truly maximize return for customers, employees, and community so that we can in turn maximize financial results for our shareholders. Fiduciary duty can go along with human social duty!
(Read the Rest of this Article Here....)
Ryan Allis is a technology entrepreneur and social entrepreneur from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He is the co-founder and CEO of iContact, the leading global provider of email marketing services to small and mid-sized businesses.
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The Best Time to Start a Business
Charles R. B. Stowe
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One of the more common questions is "When is the best time to start a business?" While you might expect to read that the time is NOW, you may be surprised by my answer: only when you are really ready.
Too often aspiring entrepreneurs are eager to "jump" into business. They see potential for their concept or idea and fear that if they don't spring into action, someone will "steal" the idea. The commonly held belief is that timing is everything in starting a business. Well, here is something to think about.
(Read the Rest of this Article Here....)
Charles has over 15 years experience in Venture Capital and 27 years of higher education. He holds an MBA, JD, and Ph.D. in Management.
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3 Secrets to Succeeding Online
Michele Pariza Wacek
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Succeeding online is easy, right? Just throw up a sales page, drop in some "buy now" links and sit back and watch your bank account grow. Well, if you've been in business any length of time, you already know it doesn't work like that. (No matter what "promises" or "hype" you might have seen.) It's never that easy. But there's no question it IS possible. (My client list is proof of that.)
So how DO you succeed online? Well let me share 3 secrets to get you started.
1. Know what you're highest payoff activities are. The successful entrepreneurs I've worked with know exactly what they should be focusing on each day. They know what they're strengths are and what's going to bring in the most money. That's what I mean by highest pay-off activities. They know what's going to bring them the biggest bang for the least amount of time.
(Read the Rest of this Article Here....)
Michele PW is your Ka-Ching! Marketing strategist and owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting LLC, a copywriting and marketing agency.
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Zero to One Million: How I Built My Company to $1 Million in Sales . . . and How You Can, Too
Ryan Allis
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Book Description
Do You Want to Become a Multi-Millionaire Entrepreneur? Here's How.
By the time Ryan Allis had reached the age of twenty-one, he had achieved the financial goal most people just dream about: He built his company to one million in sales. Allis has since grown his company iContact Corp., a provider of Web-based email marketing and online communication softwares, to $28 million per year in sales, and has helped numerous clients increase their sales dramatically.
Now Allis shares the secrets of his lightning-fast success with you. In Zero to One Million, he details his simple yet innovative evaluation system of "Market-Advantages-Return" to help you determine if your business idea is viable. Once you have a solid foundation, you can apply his advice for successfully running your business-from initial planning to managing high-speed growth.
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Evaluate your business idea using the innovative MAR system
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Write a business plan sure to excite your investors
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Launch your company with minimal expenditure
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Boost online sales using cutting-edge marketing strategies
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Watch all your hard work transform into millions
Did you know that eighty-one percent of millionaires are entrepreneurs? Join the pantheon of successful businessmen and women with Zero to One Million.
About the Author
Ryan P. Allis is CEO of iContact Corp., a venture-backed email marketing and online communications firm that has grown from nothing to over $32 million in annual sales with over 59,000 customers and 190 employees. Ryan is also the Chairman of the web marketing firm Virante, Inc.
(Buy the Book....)
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Do you have a Facebook account?
If so, Ryan's on Facebook too. Just look up Ryan
Allis (the one at UNC-Chapel Hill). Send
Ryan a message or a friend request. |  |
Ryan
also uses LinkedIn. If you want to connect to Ryan
on Linked in just look him up and send a connection
request to allisr [at] icontact.com.
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Or Follow Ryan on Twitter:
ryanallis
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Don't
have Facebook or LinkedIn but still want to ask Ryan
a question? Feel free to email Ryan at allisr [at]
icontact.com. Thank you!
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This concludes issue #57 of The Entrepreneurship Chronicle. If you are not subscribed and would like to subscribe, please visit http://www.zeromillion.com. If you would like to contribute content, become involved with the zeromillion.com team, make suggestions, or provide feedback please feel free to contact us at info@virante.com.
This newsletter is published by www.zeromillion.com with support from the Entrepreneurs' Coalition. The newsletter is sent using the iContact email marketing software.
Comments/Suggestions: myoung@virante.com
Contribute Content: jbohall@virante.com
Contact Publisher: jstaub@virante.com
Inquire About Services: info@virante.com
Archives online at: http://www.zeromillion.com/echronicle/
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More FREE SEO Tools can also be found at http://www.Virante.com
Interested in having a branded-version of these products for your SEO group? Contact Russ Jones - rjones@virante.com.
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If your organization is interested in any of our services, please contact Virante's Director of Client Services, Jake Bohall, at (919) 459-2834 or jbohall@virante.com or Submit an RFQ.
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I studied the lives of great men and famous women, and I found that the men and women who got to the top were those who did the jobs they had in hand, with everything they had of energy and enthusiasm and hard work"
- Harry Truman, former U.S. President
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