Giancarlo Massaro was up watching late night TV when he saw an infomercial pitching a product. It was while watching the infomercial that Giancarlo came up with the idea for AnyLukyDay, a daily contest website that operates as an advertising space to promote companies’ products and services through giveaways. In this interview, learn how Giancarlo is providing each of his clients a unique, fun and exciting 24-hour advertising campaign on AnyLuckyDay.

Tell us about AnyLuckyDay and how you came up with this unique idea?

The unique idea for AnyLuckyDay came about in December 2008. I had built and sold many websites leading up to my freshman year of college, but I decided to take a year off to focus on school. In December of my sophomore year, I was watching TV late one night trying to think of ideas for another website and that’s when I saw an infomercial pitching a product. I thought, “wouldn’t it be cool if I could test these products out before I had to buy them?” With a little tweaking of my initial idea, AnyLuckyDay was born.

AnyLuckyDay is a daily contest website that operates as an advertising space to promote companies’ products and services through giveaways. Every day, thousands of companies are searching for new and unique ways to advertise that are different than a traditional one-way advertising campaign. AnyLuckyDay does just that, providing each of its clients with a unique, fun and exciting 24-hour advertising campaign that includes a product giveaway, a custom “product-pitching” video created by me, and multiple posts on our Twitter and Facebook accounts. Clients also receive viral exposure as our users share the giveaway with their social networks in order to receive extra entries. It’s a great atmosphere because our users get to learn about new companies and they receive the chance to win their products, which creates an interactive experience for both the client and the customer.

How does the process work?

AnyLuckyDay works on a ‘one giveaway a day’ schedule. Every 24 hours we feature a new company and giveaway one (or many) of their products. Giveaways run from 12:00AM EST to 11:59PM EST. Winners are picked at random at the conclusion of each giveaway.

For contestants looking to enter the daily giveaways, they simply have to read the daily contest and watch the video on the homepage. Next, they must click the blue ‘Visit Sponsor’ button to check out the sponsor’s site because after all, they are giving everyone a chance to win their product. Finally, clicking the orange ‘Comment’ button and posting a comment will secure their entry into the giveaway.

For companies interested in taking advantage of the unique advertising service that AnyLuckyDay provides, they can view our booking calendar to purchase a day to be featured. Once a day is booked, we will work with the company to plan out their campaign.

How do you promote the product or service?

Every product or service is promoted on the homepage of AnyLuckyDay through a blog post as well as a custom ‘product-pitching’ video. In addition, multiple posts are made on our Twitter and Facebook accounts. Throughout the day, our users also share the daily giveaway with their social networks in order to receive extra entries, which allows it to go viral.

What types of product or service gets the most response?

I’ve been doing this for almost two years now and here is what I have found. Electronic items tend to always do well, as well as jewelry, apparel and unusual gadgets. I’ve started to shy away from promoting services because they do not get as good of a response as I would like them to. Surprisingly, food items have done well too, with a giveaway from Snyder’s of Hanover attracting over 600 contestants.

How has using video on your site helped in the sites growth?

Using video has helped AnyLuckyDay grow tenfold since I started it in January 2009. First, I feel that the video aspect adds a personal touch to the site, so people can actually see who is behind AnyLuckyDay and who is operating the giveaways. Second, using video allows for people to learn about the companies that support AnyLuckyDay and provide people with all the great giveaways. The great thing about video is that it can easily be shared with friends and family and reposted anywhere, which has allowed for more and more people to check out AnyLuckyDay.

What did you learn during the start up phase?

Don’t expect to turn an idea into an overnight success because it just won’t happen. I had so many great ideas in the beginning and felt that with a few weeks of hard work, I would be seeing green, and a whole lot of it. That wasn’t the case. In fact, AnyLuckyDay made no money for an entire year, but I kept on pushing. I worked 12-14 hour days, I stayed in on weekends when friends were out partying, and I even worked during my college classes (sorry mom).

What advice would you give aspiring entrepreneurs?

If you have an idea and you want it to succeed, be ready to pump all of your time and effort into it. You need to be passionate about it and truly believe in it. You will work longer hours than a normal 9-5 job, but that’s the life of an entrepreneur. You won’t make your first million overnight either, so if long hours and making little to no money is not for you, then don’t be an entrepreneur. I will tell you this though, there is no greater feeling than working so hard for something and seeing it finally succeed.

Is there anything you would like to add?

You can check out AnyLuckyDay at http://anyluckyday.com. You can follow us on Twitter @anyluckyday, or ‘Like’ us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/anyluckydaycontests

Julie Barnes is the author is this post. Julie is excited to be living in Generation E – the age of the Entrepreneur. As a writer, she enjoys writing about all aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. She enjoys interviewing entrepreneurs whose experience and wisdom can inspire others to follow their entrepreneurial dreams. Julie lives and works in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, KS with her husband Ron, lovable dog Hank, and sweet kitten Sammy. You can visit her site at www.julieabarnes.com. Follow Julie on Twitter at @JulieBarnesKS. Become a Facebook friend at Julie Barnes.

This is the ninth in a series of interviews with Etsy entrepreneurs.

After pounding the pavement trying to get her line of pillows into brick and mortar shops, Julia Duncan-Roitman decided that the time and money did not balance out. Julia found the perfect solution in an Etsy shop. In this interview, learn how Julia opened Pink Baby Mouse Shop, where which sells her unique line of cone dog pillows.

What brought you to become an Etsy shop owner?

I had a few false starts creating my own line and trying to sell it wholesale and consignment through pounding the pavement hitting up brick and mortar shops. I could never make the time and money balance out between the design, production, marketing and selling all by myself. Etsy is the perfect solution; I make things to order and sell directly to customers totally cutting out the process of dealing with stores. I also sell to stores wholesale directly from my site. They find me; I don’t have to go to them.

How do you market your business?

That is another advantage of Etsy, they do most of the marketing for me! People come across my pillows because of the tags that I use for my items, sometimes my items make it to the front page where I get thousands of views, other Etsians include my items in treasuries, the Etsy Storque blog has featured my pillows and they have been featured in gift guides. Bloggers include my pillows in their posts through finding them on Etsy. Last year Heather Armstrong put my cone dog pillow in her 2008 holiday gift guide on www.dooce.com and really jump-started my whole business. At the time I had only sold a couple of pillows and was just making them as a hobby. All of a sudden my store was completely sold out; I re-listed the items and they sold out again and again and again. Within 2 days I had to figure out pillow and fabric wholesalers and a shipping solution. I am also a member of the New New York Etsy Street Team and we have a blog, Facebook page and hold sales events twice a year.

How has social networking helped your business? What have you found works best for your store?

I always post my new items on my Facebook page and on twitter. Friends and members of my street team re-tweet my posts and I for them, to expand viewership. I do get sales this way but I always feel kind of weird selling to friends and family, I always try to give them the item for free and then they refuse, etc. It’s kind of awkward; I prefer selling to strangers.

What is your favorite part of being an Etsy store owner?

I enjoy working totally on my own terms. I set my price, deal directly with my customers and design completely to my own aesthetic. I can experiment and make one of a kind items, so I don’t get bored. I also love working on the Internet; I’m not very good at “selling myself” in person but I can write decent copy and take decent photos of my work.

What are some of the ways that you find Etsy helps in your success as a store owner?

Etsy has been so supportive of me. My first sale was from an Etsy staff member and as I mentioned above they regularly include me in their gift guides, blog articles and treasuries. They even brought my pillows on a segment of LXTV on WNBC in December. I did holiday art show with them in December and I met lots of the staff and they were all so nice and eager to learn how they could improve the site.

What advice would you give new Etsians just starting out?

One of the draw backs of Etsy is the dearth of items one has to weed through in order to buy or sell successfully. I think you need to have a distinct point of view and really form a strong identity so that you stand out. I am known for my cone dog pillows. It’s weird but it’s distinct.

How did you come up with your shop name?

Pink Baby Mouse Shop comes from my first job, which was breeding mice and selling the babies back to the pet store. I would get ten cents per baby mouse.

How do you brand yourself to make your shop unique?

It never occurred to me to brand myself but I try to stay consistent in my design aesthetic, simple bold graphic, colorful, whimsical, funny off-beat. I think this is what makes my pieces recognizable and unique.

Do you feel a sense of community among the Etsy shop owners?

Definitely amongst the members of my Etsy street team. In fact, I am about four months away from opening up my own brick and mortar shop in Brooklyn and I am using my fellow New New York Etsy teammates as vendors in my shop. Some of them will be collaborating with me in designing and producing unique items for the shop and some of them will be my wholesalers. I can spend hours looking through the shops on Etsy; there are some amazing items for sale, it’s very inspiring. Fellow Etsians are very supportive of one another; I have done trades with several of them.

How do you connect with your buyers?

I don’t get too much into that; I used to do a hand written thank you note with every purchase but it felt a little desperate. I now package my pillows as professionally as possible in a cellophane sleeve with a printed hang- tag and thank you note with my logo designed and produced by a fellow Etsian.

Julie Barnes is the author is this post. Julie is excited to be living in Generation E – the age of the Entrepreneur. As a writer, she enjoys writing about all aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. She enjoys interviewing entrepreneurs whose experience and wisdom can inspire others to follow their entrepreneurial dreams. Julie lives and works in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, KS with her husband Ron, lovable dog Hank, and sweet kitten Sammy. You can visit her site at www.julieabarnes.com. Follow Julie on Twitter at @JulieBarnesKS. Become a Facebook friend at Julie Barnes.

Author and career consultant Deborah Bailey is a sought after expert in career transition and reinvention. Deborah has written for Baseline magazine, Dailyworth.com, Identity magazine, Bankrate.com, The Bridges, and Daily Career Connection. Deborah has appeared on the Fox News Strategy Room, and NJ Perspectives Show on ABC6 TV. Before leaving to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams, Deborah spent several years in corporate America working at such companies as AT&T, Lucent Technologies, and Johnson & Johnson. In this interview, learn how Deborah went from corporate employee to successful entrepreneur, who started not one, but two companies, DBC Communications, LLC, and Writing Services Central, LLC.

You coach people that are ready to make a career change. As a career transition and reinvention coach, what is the biggest obstacle you see when a client is transitioning from employee to entrepreneur?

A big problem is that people have no idea what the transition will require. They don’t realize that their thinking has to change if they want to become successful entrepreneurs. I don’t think they’re ready for the uncertainty and lack of security. Generally people are told to focus on business plans when they want to start a business, but no one addresses the emotional and mental transitions that are going on.

What is the one piece of advice you could give someone who is thinking about taking the leap from employee to entrepreneur?

Research everything before you leap! Prepare yourself for this new life you’ll be living. If you have an idea of what you’re getting into, it will make things much smoother.

What are some areas of starting a business that you are finding new entrepreneurs are not prepared for?

They aren’t prepared for how to find funding. They’re also not prepared with sales skills. I find that they tend to focus on marketing and social media, but not on having the ability to close the sale. Probably the biggest issue is that people may not be prepared for the sacrifices and long hours involved. You have to have a passion for what you are doing and be ready for the long haul. I don’t think a lot of new entrepreneurs understand that.

Can you tell us about the coaching services you offer and how they can help in the transition period?

Right now I’m offering two transition coaching programs. They’re designed to help people through the challenges that come with change and insecurity. It’s very difficult to go through this process alone because you need accountability. Transitions will call for us to step out of our comfort zones. When we have someone who we have to check in with, it will help us to stay on track. It also helps to have someone who always wants the best for you.

Are there any books you recommend people read that are considering transitioning from employee to entrepreneur?

The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber talks about how people start companies because they are good at something, but don’t realize that running a business requires different skills. The key point is that you should be working on your business as compared to working in your business.

The Success Principles by Jack Canfield is very motivational and gives information about transformations and how to build a supportive success team.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is a story about finding your purpose and following your dreams. It’s a deceptively simple read, but it made a major impression on me when I first read it.

You also have a new book coming out in April. Congratulations! Can you tell us about Think Like an Entrepreneur: Transforming Your Career and Getting Control of Your Life and how readers might find it helpful?

Thanks! I’m very excited about it. I wanted to show that employed professionals can benefit from using entrepreneurial traits.These days the world of work is changing and people can’t depend on having secure jobs. This book encourages people to use qualities such as creativity, risk-taking and visioning. I wanted to show that you can be proactive and take control, as opposed to waiting for the company to determine your fate. Entrepreneurs have to be able to create a vision for what they want and take action to get it. These are traits that employees can use so that they can be in control of their careers.

When will your book become available in April?

I don’t have the exact date yet, though I expect it will be around the third week of April. In the meantime, the book can be ordered from my website and I’m including a couple of free gifts to thank pre-release book buyers.

Where can readers find your book?

My website, Amazon.com and B&N.com – and hopefully a few book stores as well!

You also host the weekly internet radio show Women Entrepreneurs – The Secrets of Success. Can you tell us about the show and the guests you interview?

I started the show as a way to find out what other women entrepreneurs were doing. It seems that you only read about people who make millions of dollars, but I wanted to interview a variety of entrepreneurs. I expected that the show would go for a few weeks and it’s almost a year and a half. The guests have included Lori Greiner who sells her products on QVC, former CNN anchor Daryn Kagan and Chef Ana Garcia who was recently named “spokeschef” for IMUSA Cookware, and Anne Roos who plays the Celtic harp.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Thanks very much for the interview. This was fun!

For more information on Deborah’s coaching services visit http://www.dbaileycoach.com.

For more information about Deborah’s writing services visit http://www.writingservicescentral.com.

To listen to Deborah’s weekly internet radio show Women Entrepreneurs – The Secrets of Success visit www.blogtalkradio.com/coachdeb.

To read the Women Entrepreneurs – The Secrets of Success companion blog visit http://womenentrepreneursecrets.blogspot.com/.

Follow Deborah on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/DebBC

Julie Barnes is a Freelance Writer focusing on her passion of entrepreneurship. Julie published “So You Want to Start a Business…Now What?” (Available on Amazon) in December 2009. Julie lives and works in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, KS with her husband Ron and lovable dog Hank. You can visit her site at http://www.onewhowrites.com.

Jim Garland is an entrepreneur, business owner, author, professional speaker and business consultant.  He started his first company Sharp Details, Inc. from the trunk of his car as a boat cleaning service in 1991. Today Sharp Details, Inc provides corporate aircraft cleaning and support services to fortune 100 and 500 companies, has 60 employees and produces $3,500,000 in annual revenue. Jim is the author of The Practical Guide to Exceptional Living. In this interview, learn the tools Jim used to become a success in all areas of his life.

You started Sharp Details, Inc out of the trunk of your car 1991. How did you grow Sharp Details, Inc. into a company that produces $3,500,000 in annual revenue?

Most of the growth came from old fashioned cold calling and referrals; I banged on a lot of doors. As we got into aviation in 1994 people would see us working and like what they saw and would recruit us to do their aircraft. The big growth began in 1998 to the present when we were able to use our reputation in the industry to get government contracts with the FAA and the US Air Force. In 2002 we also began working with some large fractional ownership programs that currently use us at all of our locations from VA-CT. Again this came from referrals, reputation and simply asking for the business.

You began your business providing boat cleaning services. What made you decide to change your company’s direction to providing corporate aircraft cleaning and support services?

After doing the boat cleaning for two seasons we began to look for ways to turn it into more of a full time year round venture. The natural progression was to start detailing cars on site at people’s homes and offices. While detailing a client’s car she noticed what a great job we had done and how professional we were and she mentioned that her dad managed corporate jets. This was in 1994 and we landed the contract after our first meeting. After this first contract we saw the opportunity for growth and fell in love with the industry. We also realized that in the aviation industry we could provide services 24 hours per day

Has your business felt any affects of the economy?

The corporate and private aviation industry was hit very hard by the down turn in the economy. This was coupled with the notion created by Washington over the past 12-18 months that private aviation is excessive and bad. We had one customer whose volume with us was cut by 80% over a 60 day period. We had others who simply parked their aircraft for 90 days and did not fly. We have also seen a slowdown in payments from customers, everyone still pays but some take as long as 90 days now. To combat all of this we are constantly looking for new streams of revenue and additional services we can offer new clients. This has helped us stabilize our revenue. From an operations side we have a very secure line of credit (a solid banking relationship goes a long way) to help with cash flow and we watch our P&L like a hawk. In 2009 we made a lot of adjustments related to the efficiency of our operations and this helped us weather the changes in the economy as well. In 2009, our revenue was even with 2008, but we saw an increase in profit because of our increased efficiencies.

You credit much of your success to reading and studying self development, health and business concepts. What top five books or programs would recommend?

There are so many great books and programs out there but a few clearly stand out. The E-Myth is the only modern era book–the others were written 40-50 years ago, but the lessons they contain are timeless.

Books

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
The E-Myth by Michael Gerber
The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale
How to win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Programs

The Strategic Coach by Dan Sullivan www.strategiccoach.com. I was in this program for four years from 1999-2003. The claim is they can double your income and free time in three years and they delivered.

This success led you to develop Garland Communications, LLC along with the release of your first book The Practical Guide to Exceptional Living. Congratulations! Can you tell us a little about your book and why readers might be able to use it as a success tool?

I wanted to provide a simple guide that could help people improve their lives on many levels. The goal of the book is to get people to think differently about their life and their life’s purpose. I have great tips on improving health, which I feel is the base of any successful person. There are chapters on faith, goal setting, attitude and money. The beauty of this book is it can be read in one day and referenced over and over again. I pose many questions and encourage the reader to take action by answering a series of questions. This book can truly transform your thinking which will change your actions and in turn produce better results.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Your thoughts and how you think will have a far greater impact on your business than any outside influence. As an entrepreneur you must constantly find the good in any obstacles you face and start each day as a new adventure no matter what the circumstances. I learned this going through a frivolous law suit that almost bankrupt my company several years ago. What I realized was this. I have control over one thing every day and that one thing is my thoughts. I could not control the attorneys, the company that was suing me, or the opinions that some had formed because of poor information. By focusing on my business and all of the things that were working, I was able to overcome the suit, grow my business and make it stronger than ever, while improving my business reputation by leaps and bounds.

For more information on Jim Garland and his book visit http://www.sharpdetails.com/ or http://www.jim-garland.com/

…

Julie Barnes is a Freelance Writer focusing on her passion of entrepreneurship. Julie published “So You Want to Start a Business…Now What?” in December 2009. Julie lives and works in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, KS with her husband Ron and lovable dog Hank. You can visit her site at http://www.onewhowrites.com.

A creative entrepreneur who turned his talent into a business.  Learn about the originative Kidlandia.com, how it works and how it all began.  Enjoy the insight and great tips.  Have a great week everyone!

Can you begin by introducing yourself and giving us some background?

Hi, my name is Brian Backus. I live in San Francisco and have twin sons who are four years old.  I’ve always loved children’s animation and illustration, particularly maps and monsters.  I grew up in San Diego, and my aunt lived next to Dr. Seuss.  I was drawing fantasy creatures by four and had a whole bestiary of clay characters by seven.  I also had this obsession with maps, which might have been why I traveled a lot as a young man.

I went to film school at USC, then became a Producer at Disney Interactive.  I’d tried to start the first interactive greeting card company, but failed for lack of business knowledge, so I went to business school and then started a small software company. I continued my art as a hobby though, and in 2004 received a commission to paint a personalized kingdom for a child.  It was fun to do and the child liked it, so word got out and I couldn’t keep up with demand. They were labor intensive and expensive though, up to $2,000, so there was no way to scale it.  Fortunately many of my clients were technology experts, who encouraged me to figure out how to make the maps more widely available.

Kidlandia.com has a very interesting concept.  Can you briefly give us a rundown of what it is all about and how it works?

Thank you!   Kidlandia.com lets you personalize a kingdom for a favorite child in your life. You name the kingdom after the kid, such as Lucyland or Tuckertopia, then name all cities, islands, and mountains after grandparents, siblings, yourself, pets, you name it!  Anyone and anything important to the child. The kingdoms are inhabited by playful fantasy characters, which you can also name. The maps are a festive way to display a family tree and turn it into quality home décor. Making the maps is really fun too, and it’s a great activity to do with a kid if they’re old enough.

When you’re happy with your kingdom, you can order it as a fine art on canvas, to give as a gift and hang in the child’s room. They’re the best quality prints on canvas on the market, called giclée. They’re protected against UV and will last 200 years if you take care of them, so they’re instant heirlooms.

Why do you believe Kidlandia.com is successful and how have you continued to do well during this “economy?”

Kidlandia.com is brand new, so it’s too early to know whether it will truly succeed.   I will say though that the early response has been wonderful.  I think the way we’re standing out in this economy is by having a unique offering that provides real long-term value to families. Also, we have a talented team and several great strategic advisors who are making a big impact.

You’ve been making these interesting drawings since you were a kid.  What inspired you later on in life to use these and form a business around them?

Opportunity came knocking.  I made them as a labor of love and a refuge from business for many years.  At a certain point I realized that my passion could also be a business, and there was an opportunity worth exploring.  A lot of people had to push me first though.

Were you ever worried about people taking your ideas? If so, how did you overcome that?

Absolutely, like anyone doing a startup.  After a few startups though, you realize that turning an idea into a functioning business is such an enormous task that chances are that anyone else working as hard as you is probably working on their own passionate idea. Also, no two executions of the same idea will ever be the same. Finally, competition is a reality in our lives, and fearing it only leads to paralysis – you have more to gain by acting than not – and by sharing your idea judiciously.

In the beginning, how did you go about getting these maps sold to people? Was it difficult at first?

It was all word of mouth. Selling new things is always hard, even when it happens on its own.

Do you have any goals for Kidlandia?

If I said Disney for the 21^st century, I’d be accused of hubris.  So I won’t.

Do you have any future projects planned? Any more exciting art to bring to the world?

I will be focused on Kidlandia until I’m dragged kicking from my kingdom.

What advice can you give to creative individuals like yourself who want to do more with their designs and drawings?

The business models for distributing designs and drawings are undergoing a revolution, especially with print-on-demand.  If you can figure out how your art fits into an emerging pattern of buying, you’ll be in good shape. It’s the old “sell into a growing market.” 

Any last words, insight or tips?

An upside to the downturn for many people is the rare opportunity to deepen their understanding of what drives them and what they can contribute to the world. Take it if you can.

Thank you for doing this wonderful interview Brian!

Kidlandia.com

Thanks for checking out GetYourBizSavvy.com

Come by next Monday for another exciting interview!

Happy Monday everyone! Today we have Kelly Smith who has a tremendous background.  Enjoy the great advice and knowledge.

Kelly Smith, it’s a pleasure to do this interview with you. We did research on you prior to doing this to find out more about the projects you have worked on. It is unbelievable how much we came up with. So, Mr. Serial Entrepreneur, can you tell us about yourself and each of these projects you have been involved with.

I have been working in the internet space for since 1994. Like many people, my career got off to an accidental start. I wound up in Seattle working as a technical recruiter when I got out of college. One of my clients asked if I would be interested in filling one of the open roles they hired me to fill. That company was called SPRY and it was the first commercial internet product sold at retail. It was called Internet in a Box. We licensed the source code for the Mosaic web browser from the University of Illinois before Marc Andreeson left to start Netscape. CompuServe bought Spry and I then went to work at RealNetworks in December1994 to help that team market and sell this idea to deliver audio over the internet. It was called Progressive Networks back then and the team hadn’t yet even figured out how to deliver audio as a commercial product. I left RealNetworks to start a very early video aggregation company. It was called RocketVox. Those weren’t the YouTube days so we were too early for video aggregation. Fortunately, we wound up selling RocketVox and becoming a software company called thePlatform. It is today one of the more popular platforms to manage audio and video online and is now owned by Comcast.

The headline on CuriousOffice.com is that Ink’d has raised $1.7 million in seed capital. That’s amazing! A lot of entrepreneurs find it difficult to actually find investors. How were you able to make this possible? Do you have any advice for those out there looking for capital?

I think there were two reasons we raised money for Inkd so quickly. First, was that we had prior success with other companies and other investments. People knew us. But the main reason was that we introduced a very simple idea that seems to serve a very large market.

Inkd is essentially a buy and sell marketplace for printed materials such as flyer templates, brochure templates, newsletter templates and more. You might say it is like a graphic design marketplace as Etsy is for handmade goods. Designers, marketers and business owners can download fully editable design files such as brochure templates, business cards, flyer templates, newsletter templates etc, which were uploaded by professional graphic designers. Each creative is unique and gets screened by the Inkd team before ending up in the marketplace. If a business owner or marketer doesn’t’t find what they’re looking for, they can put out a request to Inkd or email graphic designers directly. Creatives who submit material to the design collection are paid a royalty fee on the total retail sale for each transaction that ensues, but in the future Inkd plans to debut an ‘exclusive’ membership with higher commission fees.

Inkd print templates (of which 900 are already present) are made available for immediate download in a wide variety of file formats and include page layout files such as Adobe Illustrator or Adobe InDesign along with photos and artwork. The files are fully editable and can be customized to suit any project. You can get some free samples from the Inkd website (hover over the ‘Learn’ tab) to see how they come out. Microsoft Word and Apple iWork Pages formats are coming soon.

What we think Curious Office has done is apply a well thought-out business model that has already proven its value in other fields (iStockphoto for stock images and Logoworks for logos spring to mind) to an industry that’s dying for some innovation. The advantages for business in terms of cost and time saving are clear. And that’s a key point. Investors need to easily understand how your concept will make money and its especially helpful if you’re doing something that nobody has done before.

You started Imagekind in 2006 and then sold it to CafePress in 2008. That is an extremely fast turnaround. What was your experience like when Imagekind was acquired from CafePress? How were you able to sell so quickly?

Most investors will tell you to not worry about what kind of company might acquire you when you start out and I generally think that’s good advice. What that really means is that you should focus on adding as much value as you can and think about little else. In my case though, I tend to develop ideas about likely suitors anyway. CafePress is the largest print-on-demand company. Imagekind was the first significant marketplace for buying and selling art on demand. Once we got Imagekind up and running, we made an effort to talk to CafePress. I like to be very communicative with those who some might even call a potential competitor. Big competitors are often the most likely suitor for your business. It’s important to show them early that you can communicate with them in a mature and sensible way. It’s important to show them that you’re always open to any kind of partnership possibility and that you would be interested in growing your business by helping them grow theirs even bigger.

Now, you’re giving back in a sense by doing the investing. Can you talk about this for us?

My longtime friend and business partner Adrian Hanauer know how hard it is to start a small business. Most people know him as one of the owners of the professional soccer team here in Seattle called the Seattle Sounders which he bought with the famous comedian Drew Carey and Hollywood producer Joe Roth. What a lot of people don’t know is that the Hanauer family also owns one of the largest picture framing chains in North America as well as the largest manufacturer of down and feather products (called Pacific Coast Feather). The family was even involved in aQuantive (bought by Microsoft for $6 billion in 2007). Between his experience watching businesses grow and my experience starting my own, we knew there was an opportunity to help entreprenuers make that difficult first step. So we set-up Curious Office for seed stage investing and we have a variety of companies that we’ve worked with, besides the ones we start ourselves here out of the same office. These days, Adrian spends almost all of his time trying to win the MLS Championship but I’m still here working on the technology side and trying to get new companies like Inkd going.

You are in an investing position now and you choose the projects to fund. How do you pick and choose? What stands out for you? Do you ever fear a failed investment?

I worry about failure all the time. Probably even more than I should. Many people I know who are very successful are extreme optimists. The best example might be our lead venture investors in Inkd over at Second Avenue Partners. Mike Slade, Nick Hanauer and Pete Higgins are always laughing and having a good time. I always leave that office and remind myself not to be so serious all the time but its kind of just how I am.

In terms of picking investments, I think we try to look very closely at the capabilities of the person who is pitching the project. We know lots of people have great ideas and a lot of ambition but its very important to be able to know how to do a lot of the hands on work yourself. We also like people who are technical or developer folk who also have a great marketing sense. Those people seem to be rather rare but when you find them then you’ve found a person who can develop ideas and prioritize how hard and how long it would take to deploy that idea into the market for feedback. Additionally, I gave Curious Office that name for a reason. One of the most important and noticable traits of a great entreprenuer is that they are rarely happy with the way things are done today. They are more curious than most. Always asking questions. Always wanting to find ways to be better, faster and cheaper. Always being curious is exhausting but you’ll see that trait in every great business person.

You seem like a very confident, hard working guy. But it also appears you have a great personality. You have a flickr account with tons of really cool pictures. You keep in touch with people on Twitter. You’re always smiling in your pictures. These traits are inspiring in themselves. We are curious to know what motivates you and keeps you going?

I never really think about how I am perceived except that I acknowledge that the mood and pace in my office largely depends on the energy I bring with me every day. I can be the kind of guy who worries a lot and my good friends know that but I also believe that you are either absorbing energy around you or you are contributing energy into your environment. I much prefer to be contributing positive energy when I enter a room. It’s not always easy but I often remember how lucky I am to have such great friends and co-workers who care about me so that helps keep a smile on my face.

Any other exciting hobbies other than photography and being awesome that you would like to share?

I like Formula One although I know its not that popular in North America. I also like furniture, magazines and travel. I’ve lived in 38 different cities in my life.

Would you like to add any last words or inspirational advice?

Remember that many of the old cliches are true so don’t dismiss them. For example, “work hard”. I once read that Eddie Van Halen used to sit on the edge of his bed practicing guitar almost every Friday and Saturday night when he was a kid while the rest of his friends went out to have fun. Brute force can overcome a lot of obstacles. If you don’t work harder than most then a start-up isn’t going to work for you. The other bit of advice I’d give is to remember that life is short. If you treat someone poorly and burn that bridge don’t think it doesn’t matter. Odds are, you’ll encounter that person again and you might even need their help. I try to be nice in all cases. I sometimes get frustrated and say things that I later regret. I do that less and less as I get older. Be nice to everyone and your aspirations will be realized more easily and more quickly.

GetYourBizSavvy had the opportunity to interview Tim Westergren. Tim is the founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Pandora.

Here is how Tim describes Pandora: “Free personalized radio that allows you to create personalized radio stations by typing in the name of a song or artist you like. It connects that input to other songs based on its musicological content, so it relies on this enormous hand-built database that we have been putting together for the last nine and a half years, and continue to work on …we actually have a team of musicians, about fifty of them, working on this now, taking songs one by one and scoring them along 400 attributes per song. It’s like collecting musical DNA.”

Tim was in bands and wrote music for films prior to founding Pandora. His idea for Pandora was influenced by his experiences while playing in these bands and the hopes he had of “getting noticed.” He was also meeting a lot of other talented musicians during this time who similarly were looking to “get noticed.” He became interested in finding a way for these talented individuals to gain popularity. Later, during his time as a film composer, Tim gained an interest in musicology and the concept of matching music with people’s tastes. Thereafter, he put an idea together using technology and the web to make what Tim calls “a recommendation tool,” which would help people learn about independent music. He explains that this eventually turned into a playlist. When we asked Tim about his experience of bringing Pandora to the web and taking it to where it is today, he explained: “It’s a step by step process.” Pandora did not actually realize that they could use their idea as a radio on the web until about 4 years into their project. Tim stated: “We created a website, built a front end, tested it out, and let it go out on the web. And then it took on a life of its own.”

For those of you that do not already know, Pandora released its application to Blackberry’s about 2 weeks ago. Pandora is already on the iPhone and other devices as well. We were interested in learning about Tim’s experience during the whole mobile phase. “The iPhone was the real big hit for us. We launched that about 8 months ago and it’s been just an incredible catalyst for us in a lot of ways. It has dramatically accelerated the rate of new listeners on Pandora, but it’s also been a catalyst for people thinking about internet radio differently, or realizing that you can take this iPhone and plug it into the car or dock it in your home stereo…it’s really opened up a whole new world of listening for us.” Tim is very excited about what is going on with Pandora in the mobile world, and he told us that it really has taken Pandora to another level. As for what is to come with Pandora and the Blackberry, Tim sees similar results to the iPhone.

Pandora is doing very well during this economy, so we found it appropriate to ask Tim for some recommendations. Tim details, “If you have a website that gets along with advertising, you’ve really got to have a platform that works…you have to have an advertisement that people actually look at.” As for Pandora and their success, Tim says “Our product really works, the platform really does generate the kind of activity that advertisers value.” Pandora is the only thing Tim is working on right now and all that he really has time to do. But don’t worry; Tim still finds time to play music although he was inactive for a while.

So, what advice can Tim give you? Pandora describes Tim as an award-winning composer, an accomplished musician and a record producer with 20 years of experience in the music industry. After our interview, we can say that Tim is a very intelligent individual who has taken his love and experience in music and turned it into a wildly amazing concept. The advice that Tim has given is great. It is especially good for those people who think they can do it all themselves.

He advises: “I really think that this isn’t something to do alone. If you’re thinking of starting your own business, I think it’s very advisable to find someone to be your partner, at least one person if not more than one. Find someone whom you trust like a brother and someone whose skills really compliment yours…Lastly, don’t be self-conscious about being an entrepreneur!”

That was Tim Westergren of Pandora!

Listen to the Interview with Tim Westergren