Leverage Consulting

Logos

I was messin' around the other day and found an interesting website.

www.logolounge.com

It allows you to view over 42,000 different logos to get an idea for your own.  Having a solid logo idea down can save a ton of money when it comes to paying a designer. 

Ebay training for Entrepreneurs?

I think that there is no better way to find out the value of something than to shop on eBay.  It's the world's pure liquid market. 

Can you also correlate entrepreneurship with eBay?  I think so...

Here's an article that backs this up.

I used eBay a ton in college to make money; I don't mean extra money, I mean pay the bills.  Keep in mind there was a lot more arbitrage on eBay 6-7 years ago than there is today.  Back in college, I could paruse the clearance isle at Wal-Mart and find a way to make a few bucks.  Today, it's not that easy; which is probably why it is an even better test of entrepreneurship.

The cheapest printer ever!

Got Print is the cheapest mass-printer out there. 

I have personally used them and the only downfalls are the lead time (at least 2 weeks) and the high quantities.  Sadly, the high quantities are still made right with the pricing (sometimes it's still cheaper to get 1000 of something from Got Print as opposed to 200 from somebody locally).

Brochures, business cards, glossy flyers, booklets, letterhead, etc., you name it, they have it, and it is cheaper than your local printer, period.  It's almost embarrassing to call a local printer to see if they will price match.  They can't even come close. 

No Geeks Required!

No Geeks Required!

This is a great article and leaves entrepreneurs with no excuse for not attempting to build their own website before heading to professionals. 

I also plan to put this information to use in the future.  I have personally looked into elaborate website design quotes and they can get super pricey...one quote was $5-8K and it could get even higher. 

One online website designer that does have some potential is LogoWorks.  You can get everything you need for around $2K from LogoWorks.  They also will produce just a unique logo, if that's all you need.  Then you can take their logo and put it into motion yourself with the info from the article above. 

One of the best...

One of the best entrepreneurs of our time is Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks.  For those of you who have not had a chance to read his bio, please view it here.  I have actually been following Starbucks for quite some time.  I (along with 2 other partners) even wrote a term paper on Starbucks in undergrad nearly 7 years ago.  At that time, Starbucks was just a store you could see in the 'city'.  Everyone in Chicago might have known about it for some time, but when you grow up in a town of 9000, you tend to run behind-the-times. 

I also remember the first time I saw 'Starbucks'.  My roommate was given a bag of X-mas Blend nearly 10 years ago as a gift (from family in the 'city').  I thought, 'why would anyone want that high-falutin stuff.'  10-years later (and for quite some time now) I only use Starbucks grounds at home.  I'm even soo picky that I won't purchase Starbucks grounds from the grocery store, they must be purchased in a Starbucks (they're fresher, dangit!). 

From the time I first saw Starbucks to now, they have been a world-wide phenom.  They have went from 1000 stores to 13,000 stores.  Absolutely insane.  Recently, Howard Schultz wrote a memo outlining the fear of commoditization of Starbucks.  This is another example of a great entrepreneur.  It's extremely hard to grow a brand to this extent and still have the same CEO.  And this memo is again, another reason why. 

If only I had purchased the stock 7 years ago...

Are you an entrepreneur?

I was in FL last week and unable to post...

Here's an article that I found interesting.  Here's the link.  It's the top 10 ways to tell if you are an entrepreneur.

Usually there are two types of entrepreneurs:  the people with ideas and the people with the desire to be self-employed.  You can be an entrepreneur without an idea, but an idea won't survive without an entrepreneur.  "Getting the right people on the bus" is an integral part of being an entrepreneur.  You may have the idea and absolutely no business sense, but if you are smart enough to find someone who does have business sense (who is also a good partner/fit for your concept) you will become an entrepreneur. 

What can I do for YOU?

Leverage Consulting offers fee-only personal financial advice. 

Fee-only advice is the only advice that is 100% objective and always puts your interests first. 

I have no connections with any financial institutions of any kind, i.e., my advice is 100% my advice.  There is good and bad with that; the good:  as mentioned above there is outside influence on my advice;  the bad:  I don't physically manage your money.  So, you still have to physically manage your accounts, but I can also help you with that. 

I have found that most individuals just need help with their IRAs, 401ks, or Rollovers.  These accounts are so easy to manage yourself if you know what to buy.  That is where Leverage Consulting comes in;  I will help you put together a portfolio of funds based on your individual needs.  You can either use my blog postings as your guide (and read a few books, etc.) or you can utilize my expertise to help.  Either way, when you take control of your finances my goal has been met.

My fees are based upon your needs and 100% individualistic to your situation.  Email me at:  jw@leverage-consulting.com for more information.

Leverage Consulting also offers small business consulting.

This is an area that is highly-undefined.  I can help you with everything from business plans to transitional strategy for existing businesses.  Every business has unique goals and one of my goals is to help you get to your goals.  Email me to discuss your situation and together we can decide where Leverage Consulting fits in.