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- Free design tools you need for your next project!
Free illustrations: Undraw - Open-source illustrations for your next project. Open Peeps - A hand-drawn illustration library Blush Design - Find well designed free illustrations. Icons8 - Find free ilustrations and icons + much more at one place. Free Icons: Iconbros - 21,000+ Free icons for you! Thenounproject - Free Icons and Photos for everything. Google Icons - Find 2,500 web optimized icons from google. Feather icons - Simply beautiful open source icons. Iconoir - My Favourite Icon library with no-upsell offers. Just Icons! Free Stock Images & Videos: Unsplash - Find millions of free images att one place. Pexels - The best free stock photos and videos curated for you. Videovo - Find free stock video footage and templates. Pixabay - Find royalty free images taht you didn't find on unsplash. Mixkit - New free resource for high-quality stock videos. Free Background removers & Image optimizers: remove.bg - Remove the background of your images. Unscreen - Remove background of your videos. Tinypng - Optimize your images for website and SEO. Adobe background remover - Acess adobe's free background removal tool for your images. Free Inspiration resources for entrepreneurs: Designmunk - A free library of landing page examples for inspiration. swiped.co - Find swipe-worthy Marketing and copywriting examples. reallygoodemails - Find email marketing examples for next campaign inspiration. Facebook Ads library - Fo Ad campaign research and inspiration awwwards - Home of Website design inspiration Greatlandingapgecopy - Another resource for landing page design inspiration. Marketing Examples - Find marketing and copywriting inspiration for next campaign. Other Free Resources: Avataaars Generator - Generate avatars for your customer support and web projects. My color space - Just enter a color and generate gradients. Influence Grid - Find Tiktok Influencers for your influencer marketing campaign. Tweetagram - Turn Your tweets into Instagram posts. Colorhub - Find perfect color palette for your next project cardd - Create responsive one-page websites with drag and drop. #tools #design
- 5 Questions to Help You Nitpick Your Own Startup Idea
Question 1: What is your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)? USP Definition: The factor or consideration presented by a seller as the reason that one product or service is different from and better than that of the competition. The importance of this cannot be overstated. You need to physically write this down (type it out, whatever) and revise and refine it until it's succinct, clear, and complete. You should be able to express it in no more than a few sentences and describe it to anyone in no more than 60 seconds (without visual aids!!). USP Resources: Fizzle.co Article & free E-Book Ferocious USP Article - Wordstream Question 2: Who Else is Already Doing It? Ahh, I hear you now... "NOBODY!!!" Well, the skeptical optimist in me calls bullshit on that one - but hear me out! :) It's unusual (though not impossible) that you are creating a truly unique thing (whatever that may be). It's extremely likely that your idea is closely related (even if it's well differentiated) to some existing thing people spend money on. You NEED to understand this. 10 minutes of Googling not turning up a result is not enough. Search wide AND deep to find the two or three existing companies you feel are the most similar to what you're offering. Research them, find feedback about them, learn everything you can about their history and current status. Are they growing? Are they pivoting (as in - converting to sell something different)? Doing this well and in an organized way will take days, even weeks. So, do this exercise even though your idea is totally unique; I promise that while doing it you'll learn something useful to you whether it's a feature (like a platform integration) you hadn't considered, a use-case not on your radar, or some other tidbit of information that will help you down the road. Competitor Stalking Resources: inc.com Article (pretty good!) Good Website Research Article Question 3: How do you Make Money Doing It? Yes, I can see your eyes rolling from here. Duh, right? I'll make money by selling XYZ!! Great, true - but you need to get a little more nitty-gritty than that. You've all heard the cash is king saying but trust me, you are going to learn it on a whole other level once you start your business! It's astounding how many things cost more than you expected and how hard it is to actually get money coming in the door. It does not take long at all for those things to get out of sync and suddenly things get non-fun very quickly! My first business was consulting based. I decided I could charge $75/hour (which was too low, but hey) and so the potential income was $150k/year! Wowsa, great!! My burn rate was about $60k/year (house, car, lights, etc.) so easy peezy - I already started shopping for my private jet. Well, here was the reality: It is extremely unlikely that you will actually bill 40 hours per week with one person Companies using smaller independent contractors want work done now, so it's unusual to have more than 1 or 2 concurrent projects going with happy customers If I was not at my desk, at my computer with my hand on the mouse, I was losing money, not making it. This includes weekends, sleeping, etc. - it weighed on me heavily Because the money that did come in went to paying my bills, it left very little (often exactly zero) to invest back into the company to develop new ideas, customers, marketing, products, etc. Cash-strapped is the worst possible way to be when trying to make good business decisions. So, yeah those are not secrets, but I will say I did not consider them fully enough when I started out, and as a consequence, I had many months of burning cash faster than I could make it. Turns out that's a bad thing! :) I see lots of people on here talking about eCommerce stores which, sure - makes lots of sense. But if you are not actually MAKING a product, you are selling things that can be got elsewhere. So, you make money on the margin, on inbound traffic, on high conversion rates, etc. Are you a SEO guru? Do you have killer connections and reputation in your niche already? If so - sweet! If not, better really dial in your answer to Question 1 because you are one big vendor price-raise away from being in a tight spot. So, don't assume how you will make money, do the actual math. I'd also recommend that once you go through the numbers, you multiply all your revenue projections by 0.7 and your non-variable expenses by 1.3 and see how it looks then. Call those SkOp constants (yep, skeptical optimist). If that makes the business a loser, then you are starting out from a really tough spot. Cash Flow Resources: Bplan.com Article - you eCommerce folks pay close attention to the Inventory section!! 5 Worst Cash Flow Mistakes Question 4: What is a User Story of Your Customer? This concept is more prevalent in the software industry, but is also used in product development and in my estimation is a good tool for anyone looking to start a business. Write a simple, plain-language story about your user interacting with your product. Who are they? Why do they interact with your company? What motivates them to do so, what do they hope to get out of doing so? It may sound a little cheesy, but I hope you'll take the time to try it out - it's a really interesting and enlightening way to look at your potential business. For my latest venture, I've written several of them to help me get (and keep) my head around what the User cares about vs. what I, as the product developer am focused on. Once you've written a User Story, go back and look at the previous questions from that User's perspective. This can be jarring but very informative. Would your user do a better job than you did of finding competitors? User Story Resources: 10 Tips for Writing Good User Stories Question 5: How do you Make MORE Money Doing It? Some day, this will turn into things like capital expenditures, customer-acquisition-cost, etc. But for now, it's important to understand two constraints that are baked into your idea: What limits the PROFIT you can make per transaction? What limits the VOLUME of transactions you can do? For your profit constraint, do you control it or do others? If others control it (competitors, suppliers, etc.) what leverage do you have to resist undesirable changes? If your competitor is better funded and decides to drop their prices 25% for the whole summer, will you still exist? If your key supplier has a problem and can't ship anything for 2 months, will you still exist? Can you replace them before your customers give up and leave? For your volume constraint, it could be many things. The goal here is to understand where those pain points will be (outgrow the storage in your garage maybe) and how much time and cash it will take to remove them. Consider all the time, space, energy, etc. it takes to make the business tick day to day and try to plan what happens when any of them are overtaxed. One of the most common constraints, in reality, is the "I need another me" scenario. Chances are if you've got a solid idea, you bring something unique to the table. When it's time to grow, you need more of your own secret sauce - but there is only one you. The right solution is often offloading work you do that is non-secret-sauce (social media, bookkeeping, packaging, whatever) to free up more time but actually making that happen can be tricky and expensive. So, give it some thought early on. General Related Resources: Good Discussion of Startup Ideas 20 (Different!) Questions You Can Ask Yourself #ideas #idea #startup #brainstorm
- 48 sentences that'll make you more money than a 4 year business degree
People buy with emotion, then justify with logic. For every $1 you spend on email marketing, you can expect an average return of $36 (if you know what youâre doing). Sell the transformation, not the product. Tell prospects your price, then, shut the fuck up. Itâs easier to sell an offer that solves a pain than one fulfilling a desire. Whatever business youâre in, study psychology, cognitive bias, and body language. If your offer has a solid guarantee, it'll result in more sales than refunds. Memes are one of the most powerful forms of marketing. Copywriting is 80% research, 20% writing. Your service/product should meet demand, not try to create it. People donât care about your offer, only what your offer can do for them. Using pictures for written testimonials will make them more believable. You donât need a $2000 MacBook Pro, $967 logo, or a $87,000 degree to start a business. You become wealthy by becoming valuable, then becoming scarce. Quantify the timeframe of your offer. The market isnât âsaturatedâ, your offer just sucks. You can be terrible at sales calls if you have a great offer. Thereâs no such thing as too high of price, only too little value. Specific words and numbers are more believable than broad ones. A happy customer is the most powerful form of marketing. Sales is about listening. Marketing is about empathy. Use the words âyouâ and âyourâ in your copy to make it more engaging. Use headlines to steal attention and hooks to keep it. An average product with great marketing will outsell a great product with bad marketing. When stating your price on a sales call, say âItâs a one-time investment of ___,â not âThe price is ___.â Charge âhighâ prices so you can deliver more value for your clients. Selling a good product in a bad market is a losing battle. Handle objections in your FAQ section of your landing page to increase conversions. Your sales pitch shouldnât be over 2 minutes. Never sacrifice your reputation for money. To grow at the start, say âyesâ to many opportunities, but to continue growing, learn to say âno.â Social proof + scarcity + urgency + risk free guarantees + bonuses = irresistible offer. Use Power Thesaurus to replace boring words with strong ones to increase conversions. The less you care about making sales, the more you make. Itâs okay to fire clients that are a pain in the ass. If you donât think you can help a prospect, be honest. There will always be a market for health, wealth, and relationships. Compete on value, not price. A 5th grader should be able to understand your writing. If what you sell is confusing, nobody will buy. Use the same words and phrases as your target market to increase conversions. Study talented fiction writers so you know how to write engaging stories. Your 0 to hero story is one of your most powerful marketing assets. Persuasive writing sounds conversational, not academic. People want to see pictures of your product or service in use. If you wouldnât work with someone for a year, donât work with them for a day. Give value with 0 expectations and youâll get 10x returns in the long run. Source: Dakota Robertson
- 19 Mistakes to Avoid In Your Startup Pitch Deck
If you are planning to present your venture to an investor, below are the 19 most recurring mistakes. MISTAKES IN THE PITCH DECK 1. UNREALISTIC GROWTH PROJECTIONS Founders and investors know that financial projections of early stage companies do not make sense. There are too many variables, unknowns and future events that make the projection inaccurate 99% of the time. That said, a projection helps an investor understand how you think about your business and what are the assumptions that need to hold true for the proposed venture to grow. If you project a revenue growth that is completely out of sync with other startups in the industry, it brings out your lack of understanding of the space. 2. UNREASONABLE TAM It is important to understand the difference between the Market Size and the Total Addressable Market. Investors are reasonably aware whether a market is large enough or not. If you present a TAM that is unreasonable for the industry, it can boomerang and showcase your lack of experience. 3. TOP DOWN APPROACH TO MARKET SIZING Assume that, as per Nielsen, âdelivering breakfast to the officeâ has a market size of $100 MM. While Nielsen could be correct in their calculation, you cannot use this as the only measure of market size. Bottoms up is a better approach to paint the picture of sizable opportunity. âIf there are 1 million office goers in the city and you can attract 5% of them, you will profit $1,000 a month and if you deliver breakfast 20 days a month, that is $20,000.â This bottoms up approach to market sizing is what makes the cut and shows the true potential of your market. 4. A LOT OF LOGOS WITH NO REVENUE Having Fortune 500 companies listed as customers, makes investors assume that the company is generating meaningful revenue. But if the financials are not representative of the claims, it can mean either the companyâs definition of âcustomerâ is very loose and includes non-paying âcustomers,â or the company canât charge enough for the product. Both options are equally bad. 5. FAKE PRECISION FOR EARLY STAGE COMPANIES As an early stage company, please admit if you donât have enough data to measure metrics like CAC, LTV, % Churn. Donât try to convince investors with amazing metrics, for example 20X CAC to LTV ratio. 6. WRITING THE EXPECTED VALUATION Itâs OK to quote your expected valuation in a meeting. Itâs not OK to write the same in your deck. It is naĂŻve and takes away your leverage in the negotiation. That is, don't write something akin to "raising $4mn at $16mn pre." 7. CALCULATING INVESTORSâ EXPECTED RETURNS Itâs almost impossible for you & investors to calculate the ROI the investor can expect so early in the life of a startup. Quoting a small number would turn off the investors and a huge number will make them ask more questions about your assumptions. This is definitely not where you should be spending your time. Your job as an entrepreneur is to build a huge company. That is what you should be obsessively focussed on â and that's what you should present. 8. NO COMPETITION Saying that you have no competition generally means either you have not done your homework or you are going after a tiny market that doesnât matter. Odds are you have not done a good assessment of competition in your industry. Think strategically and broaden your horizon. 9. âHARD CODEDâ FINANCIALS IN YOUR PRESENTATION Hard coding numbers in your presentation is a rookie mistake. Linking your sheets with formulae and assumptions allows investors to play with various financial inputs to see how your business model will survive in changing conditions. Don't do this. 10. TEAM SLIDE IS SIMPLY A BRIEF BIO This is one of the key slides of your presentation. Investors are bidding for your team and their biggest worry is if you would be able to execute. Make sure you talk about the chemistry, domain experience, past achievements. Mention the complimentary skills of your cofounders and if you have worked together before. Do not create a sub-standard presentation of your headshots and degrees only. The team slide is one of the most important slides. 11. UNINTERESTING OR UNREALISTIC PROJECTIONS Projecting $5 MM revenue in 5 years will not excite any investor. Also, projecting $500 MM in 3 years will get you laughed out of the room if you are at zero revenue today. Avoid assumptions that you wonât be able to justify, like 500% growth in revenue with only 30% increase in operating & marketing costs. 12. LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF CAC AND LTV OF YOUR CUSTOMER Be ready for questions on your user acquisition costs like what channels will you use to acquire a customer, what costs will you incur, what will be their likely lifetime value. Which areas show most promise with marketing, what is your typical sales cycle duration. Lack of answers for these questions mean that you have not thought through your business plan. 13. NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO DETAIL For your legal protection, put a copyright notice at the bottom and add the phrase âPrivate & Confidential.â Include page numbers on each slide so that the investors can easily reference a specific page. Make sure your presentation is a visual treat, not text heavy and does not contain typos or inconsistencies. 14. NOT BEING ABLE TO EXPLAIN THE KEY ASSUMPTIONS IN YOUR PROJECTIONS It feels you donât have a real handle on your business if you canât explain your financial assumptions and projections. If you go unprepared, you will not get a second meeting with the investors. 15. NOT ARTICULATING WHY YOUR PRODUCT OR TECHNOLOGY IS DIFFERENT FROM A COMPETITOR You will have to explain why your product is different and 10X better than your competitor. You can assume that investors know about the competitive landscape. Donât shoot yourself in the foot with sloppy response. Also, if your product is 1.5X, 2X, or 3X better, most times that is not good enough. 10X better or 10X less costly is a great goal to hit. 16. NOT BEING ABLE TO TELL HOW YOU WILL USE THE INVESTMENT CAPITAL AND HOW LONG IT WILL LAST Investors want to know how you will use the raised funds and your burn rate (so that they know when you will need the next round of financing). It will also confirm that you know your costs for hiring, marketing, support & admin etc, given their experience with other startups. 17. NOT CAPITALIZING YOUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Investors put heavy premium on intellectual property. Be ready for questions on what IP does your company have and how was it developed, whether any previous employer of your cofounders can have a claim on your IP. 18. LACK OF DIRECTION AND LONG TERM STRATEGY You need to have a clear strategy of where your company will be in 5 years and how you are going to get there. Unrealistic expectations, naĂŻve assumptions will not help you in closing this round. 19. NOT UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STAND ALONE DECK AND A PRESENTATION The stand alone deck tends to be text heavy because you are not there to explain it. It explains certain graphs and other assumptions & ideas. Your presentation deck should be visually appealing, with maximum 5 words per slide if possible. This will help you make a great presentation as you will not be reading out from your slides (which is the fastest way to put a room to sleep). Use your stand alone deck only when you canât be there. Written by: Paritosh Nath, advisor at FounderCEO.io .
- Clutch recognizes Unstuck Labs amongst Top Creative & Design Agencies
Unstuck Labs is a venture building agency, hyper-learning community, and accelerator founded by a team of career professionals turned entrepreneurs. As a creative technology company, we work with founders to validate, build and accelerate tech startup launches. To help startups get âstartedâ, we design and create websites, prototypes, and mobile apps that get results. Due to Unstuck Labs high level of client satisfaction, we are being recognized amongst Top Creative and Design Agencies in the DC, Maryland and Virginia area by Clutch in their 2019 report on leading B2B DC Area agencies. Clutch is a B2B market research firm with ratings and reviews for over 8,000 creative & design firms worldwide. Clutch helps businesses make the decision about who to hire to solve their firmâs challenges by providing reliable information on top performing firms centered around client-feedback. Check out this snapshot of our most recent review on Clutch: We have also been featured on The Manifest. The Manifest is a B2B firm description platform consisting of research-based lists of top companies alongside information such as mission and clients. It also features business news and how-to guides in blog-style posts for firms to help them improve and develop. Check out Visual Objects, It features a visual profile for top B2B agencies. These company profiles highlight the creativity of the work so that you can envision what your project might look like. We are featured here under top UX designers. We are excited to be recognized by the best review and ratings resource on the web as it provides reliable information to our clients. Contact us for more information!
- "Diversity in tech, is not important, and skin color does not make you special"
Recently I posted on linkedin about diversity and our efforts to promote and create a more diverse tech scene. I received many comments of support, however one comment in particular challenged the notion. COMMENT TO MY POST: "Why does diversity matter? there is nothing special about skin color so it does not add anything. Ideally a team is focused on the same goals and shares the same views, so diversity in thought could actually be an obstacle. A team that is not diverse can be very strong as well, and I don't think it's essential to be politically correct and try to hire different cultural backgrounds, skin colors, or genders just to have a diverse looking team. As a leader please explain to me why you believe in diversity?" MY ORIGINAL POST: Recently I read a post about how BeyoncĂ© Knowles passed on working with Reebok because the team around the table wasn't diverse enough and didn't represent what she was trying to do. #Diversity isn't just a buzzword, or nice to have, it's a business imperative! Iâm proud that our startups & small team is so diversity rich. 19+ different backgrounds represented: đșđžđČđœđ§đ·đŠđ· đŻđČ đ”đȘ đ»đł đ”đŠ đŠđč đŻđ” đžđŠ đȘđŹ đŹđ đ°đ” đ«đ· đčđ· đČđŠ đžđŸ đźđł đ©đ»đšđŸâđŠ±đ©đœâđŠ°đ§đœđ±đŒââïžđšđżâđŠČđ©đœâđŠ±đšđŒ MY RESPONSE Iâm so glad you asked this question. because I find it troubling how often I hear the same sentiments you just shared. You are not alone in your line of reason, far from it and itâs one of the challenges we face. I would like to help reframe what diversity means, particularly for those that may believe their status or value is somehow reduced because of diversity. Here are responses to your point: 1. âThere's nothing special about skin color, so diversity there does not add anything.â Diversity has nothing to do with skin color. There are black, white, brown, tan, off white, beige, carmel and other colors of people from different nationalities and backgrounds. Diversity is about gender, income class, cultural background, work experience, opinions and experiences. Itâs about who you are not what you are. 2. âIdeally a team is focused on the same goals and shares the same views, so diversity in thought could actually be an obstacleâ What you are referring to is âorganization alignmentâ any team regardless of its make up needs organizational alignment. As a leader itâs is your job to set up your team to succeed, and build it around the each individuals strength and create alignment. Diversity has nothing to do with skin color. Diversity is about gender, income class, cultural background, work experience, opinions and experiences. Itâs about who you are not what you are. Studies repeatedly support that diverse teams preform better. A 2015 McKinsey report on 366 public companies found that those in the top quartile for ethnic and racial diversity in management were 35% more likely to have financial returns above their industry. 3. âA team that is not diverse can be very strong as well, and I don't think it's essential to be politically correct and try to hire different cultural backgrounds, skin colors, or genders just to have a diverse looking team.â According to studies people from diverse backgrounds actually alter the behavior of a groupâs social majority in ways that lead to improved and more accurate group thinking. If there is legitimate data that supports benefits of less diversity, Iâd be interested in reading it. 4. As far why I believe in diversity. I work in technology/ startups, this industry has a serious diversity problem. Out of $85 Billion in VC funding last year, only 2.2 Percent went to female founders and less than 1 Percent of total funding went to minority founders. White men make up more than 90% of venture capitalists. We are not advocating diversity on its own for the sake of diversity. An organization requires many elements to succeed, no one element on its own produces success. Diversity, just like sound leadership, business strategy, execution all contribute to the success of an organization. Out of $85 Billion in VC funding last year, only 2.2 Percent went to female founders and less than 1 Percent of total funding went to minority founders. I encourage you to embrace diversity, diversity will not create less opportunity for you, it will create more. I invite you to come to our accelerator or join us at one of our weekly Unstuck Tuesday meetups. I think it would be useful to have you share your different points of view and for us to listen and share with you ours. https://www.meetup.com/UnstuckStartups/
- The Values Behind âUnstuck Tuesdaysâ
Launching a startup is exciting, but it can also be an expensive and difficult environment to navigate. Our mission is to give entrepreneurs a foundation, as well as easy access to tools to build on their ideas. Â We have been giving back in the form of offering free mentorship and guidance to those who may not have as much money, time, or experience to begin navigating the startup world. "...we believe you do well by doing good which is why we prioritize giving back because helping others is the best way to succeed." Each Tuesday, we host a free workshop known as âUnstuck Tuesdaysâ where aspiring entrepreneurs can come pitch their ideas to one another, give and get feedback from their peers, meet with a mentor, and have a free workspace at our offices for the day to continue building on their ideas. We strive to give everyone a chance to make their ideas a reality. Through the workshop, we have seen meaningful connections be made and first-time entrepreneurs find ways to progress their business through simple collaboration with other like-minded individuals. We also continue to give back by offering free services to college students who desire to start a business. We will go to college campuses to give a lecture about startups, offer guidance to students who want to start a business, and help build them a prototype or idea plan for free. For a student, financial resources are limited but their ideas are big, therefore it is important to give them the chance to learn how to make their ideas into a viable business. At Stuck in the Sand, we believe you do well by doing good which is why we prioritize giving back because helping others is the best way to succeed. Original post at 1% Pledge 11.28.18
- 6 Rules That Saved My Start Up a Lot of Money
By Wayne Cavey from Motivate App At my start up we have a pretty lean team with a tight budget. While we try to fail fast, we found these things to be essential to staying the course. one Communicate Communicate with everyone. Employees. Customers. Investors. All the time. Every day. On a few occasions we even tracked down people that bashed our product and offered them free stuff to talk to us. Weirdly enough we got some great insights that made our product better. two No friction The harder it is for a consumer to sign up, the less consumers you will have. No confirmation emails, sign up forms, etc. The easier the better. However, those that spend 5 years working on a "perfect" product often find out that it was perfect.... but only for them. three MVP Have no fear of perfection, for you'll never reach it. Ever. Your product will never truly be ready or perfect. However, those that spend 5 years working on a "perfect" product often find out that it was perfect.... but only for them. You could've saved 4 years if you just tested it. Our app started off with 4 black and white audio tracks. No videos, no playlists, nothing. However, it got a few hundred downloads and 30 reviews with people giving feedback. That's why the team kept going. If it wasn't for that the product would've been scrapped ( or at lasted pivoted) a while ago. four SleepIf you want to "grind" all day you better get at least 8 hours or face inevitable burnout. Elon Musk once said that having a start up is like staring into the abyss and eating glass. That glass gets a lot sharper when you're running on no sleep. Trust me. If Jim's aunt died, cat got sick, and he missed the deadline (all in the same week) because his internet was down, Jim has to go. five Donât be greedy, but don't price too lo & always testIf your product is good and you price it cheap, people will buy. Then you can price upgrades, future products, and future services more expensive. Which goes along with the next rule. Hitting the sweet spot is nothing short of having a magic 8 ball, so come out with a price and adjust from there. However, just remember it's always easier to price higher and go down then price lower and go up. six Think fast, hire Slow If Jim's aunt died, cat got sick, and he missed the deadline (all in the same week) because his internet was down, Jim has to go. Things definitely come up, but when you hired someone and were super excited and then notice that you clearly got catfished, cut ties early. Some may argue you risk high turnover, but in my experience this helps a lot more than it hurts. When people start new jobs they want to prove themselves and show what they're worth (at least ones that actually came there to work). If them trying is not apparent or they just don't have the skills you thought they did, it doesn't matter who's fault it is that they are there in the first place, it's your fault they are there now.
- Do you feel stuck in your work or business right now?
Listen to the Podcast and view original content posted at: Life Skills That Matter by STEPHEN WARLEY Waâil Ashshowwaf has lots of advice on how to get unstuck in your career. Heâs learned that working even harder is not always the best method for getting yourself unstuck. He is a serial entrepreneur and advisor to several startups. Heâs the founder of Stuck in the Sand, a company dedicated to giving startups the tools they need to take action. Heâs also the co-founder of Reyets, an app that helps people understand their civil rights on demand when they have an encounter with law enforcement. Instead of resisting uncomfortable situations, why Waâil embraces them. The two types of failure, one good and one bad. The most common forms of getting stuck for first-time entrepreneurs and how to get unstuck. His approach for building apps from the ground up, including advice on hiring developers. Life Skills That Matter In This Episode Embrace discomfort Self-direct your learning Build your community Reframe your mindset How Waâil Works and Thinks Wake up time:  8:00 am Core work activities + habits:  1) Always be moving forward. 2) Reassessing what they accomplished previously and what theyâre doing next. 3) Having a vision of where they want to be and where theyâre going. Ideal work environment:  At night either at his desk or in his home office. Definition of success:  If heâs content and enjoying life. Book recommendation:  Startup Mixology by Frank Gruber and The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss Favorite productivity tool: Todoist and Airmail Inspirational Quotes âI help startups build and create to get launched, I build and create my own startups, and I try to have fun doing it.â âIf you donât enjoy what you are doing, you wonât do it very well.â âEvery time Iâm uncomfortable, itâs probably because Iâm learning something new.â âI donât care if you have the best idea in the world. A great plan doesnât mean anything. Iâd rather have a C plan and great execution.â Coaching Advice If you have an idea that youâve been sitting on, Waâil advises these actions to get going on it: 1) Write down your idea on paper, no more than 2 or 3 paragraphs. 2) Share your idea with someone and get their feedback on it.
- The F Word
Waâilâs success has been driven by a desire to learn and embrace challenges. At one point, he moved from a 13 year career in commercial banking to join a start-up and pivot his career, all with the goal of learning more. Now, he oversees business operations at Stuck in the Sand, which helps other startups visualize their platforms. Waâilâs talk is packed with advice that applies to anyone with a desire to achieve. By the end, youâll be saying the F Word too.