If you enjoy writing and believe you have some information that people would be interested in, perhaps you should consider selling ebooks. Ebooks are a great way to express yourself and make money at the same time. They are easy to market and sell, and unlike traditional books, you do not have to wait for a publishing deal to begin making money. There are some tips that will help you make money through ebook sales in no time.

Subject Is Important

Although you may think what is interesting to you is interesting to others, this is not always the case. If you are just starting out writing ebooks, you should research what kinds of ebooks are selling the best. This will give you an idea as to what subjects or genres readers are most interested in. If you have a specific interest or piece of information you think the public could benefit from, by all means write about it. If you market your ebook well enough, you are bound to have some takers. If you are wondering where you can research the best-selling types of ebooks, any online marketplace that sells them should have a list of popular titles and genres. Once you know what people are purchasing and reading, you will have a better chance of writing something that will sell.

Market Wisely

Sometimes writers make the mistake of not properly marketing their ebook. If you do not make your ebook available to the public by advertising, how will they know it exists? You want to market and advertise your ebook in places that are guaranteed to have reader traffic. There are publishing platforms on various websites that allow you to do this by advertising and selling your ebook for a nominal fee. Additionally, it is wise to market your ebook in places that pertain to the subject you have written about. For example, if you write an ebook that has to deal with home improvement, think about advertising it on home improvement websites. You’d be surprised as to how many folks would love to read your material if it pertains to something they are interested in. If this means contacting specific websites to find out about placing ads there, you should do it. If it brings your ebook exposure, the cost of advertising will be well worth it. You can also try reaching out to bloggers and writers who review books. If you provide them with a free review copy, they may be willing to review your work and let their readers know where your ebook can be purchased.

Selling Options

The easiest, most efficient way to sell your ebook is to use a website that provides a publishing platform and ebook directory. These sites allow readers to peruse for titles and purchase them as they please. The nice thing about selling ebooks through these sites is that you do not have to worry about delivering them. The site takes care of the selling and delivery of the ebook, and you get paid for it. Keep in mind that these publishing sites keep a portion of your sales. Another option is to sell your ebook on a personal website and deliver it through an email attachment. This allows you to express yourself by designing your website in any way you choose. You are also able to advertise and sell your ebooks the way you want. Additionally, you can offer readers daily, weekly, or monthly specials that will most likely bring you exposure and create a following. This option can get confusing though, as it can be hard to keep track of orders and payment records on your own should you get very busy.

Payment Options

The easier it is for your readers to pay you and get their ebooks, the more likely they are to come back for more. For this reason you should set up an account that allows you to receive electronic payments for your ebooks. Sites such as PayPal allow you to send and accept electronic payments, which is extremely handy in the online world. PayPal also provides other services besides sending and accepting payments. They allow you to transfer money to and from your bank account, which is very helpful as well. If you are selling your ebook using an ebook marketplace or directory, they will most likely be able to pay you through this type of account, too. If you are thinking of selling ebooks, you should look into setting up an electronic payment platform as soon as possible. It will make the selling aspect of the equation much more efficient.

If you are thinking of writing an ebook and selling it for income, there is really not a whole lot to lose. You are not investing a great deal of money, so you should really give it a shot. You never know, you just might end up with a bestseller.

Guest post from Robin Price. Robin writes about education, entrepreneurship, and online schools for OnlineColleges.net.

Many tools are needed to achieve success with a new business. One of the most important tools is marketing–it is the key to building long term customer relationships. Without marketing, there is a slim chance for a new business to prosper and gain a competitive edge. Here are some cost effective ways to market a new business.

Make Sure Your Customers Feel Special

Gaining customer loyalty is very important to every business, which means that your customers have to feel special. Any business can take a few steps to provide good customer service. The customers will understand the willingness of the business to ensure a good experience, and it will keep them coming back.

Have a Target Customer Base

When trying to market your business, it is very important that you are selling to the profitable customers. A lot of time and money goes into marketing and there is no reason to waste it by targeting the wrong customers. Find your target market and invest in it rather than reaching out to everyone. Target marketing gives you higher profits and ensures customer loyalty.

Market with E-Newsletters

It is important for a business to market itself so that potential customers will know what it has to offer. A good and cheap way to do this is with e-newsletters. Customers rely on reminders to keep them wanting certain products, and this makes e-newsletters a perfect tool. As long as the newsletters have value to the customer, they will hold customer interest and increase sales.

Try Adding Pleasure and Charity to Business

Marketing a new business is usually going to take countless hours of effort, so sometimes it is helpful to add a bit of pleasure. Most people in the general population look up to businesses that do more than just make a product every day. Customers like businesses that go the extra mile and think of pleasurable activities such as a sports in order to create relationships. If a new business can add some sort of charity to raise money for a selected organization, all the better.

Consider Making the Business a Destination

There are many cases where potential customers have no idea that a new business has opened let alone what it has to offer. It may be wise to create some type of destination at a newly opened business so that customers have a reason to visit. If a business is not known by the public very well, things are much more difficult in the beginning. Offer something that will draw in a huge customer base such as food or refreshments aside from the primary product at a new business.

Become an Expert Online

The internet is growing so fast, and what some people do not know is that it is one of the best ways to market a new business. Many online resources can help with new business, especially web pages and help sites. Creating a webpage is a good way to show off a business as well as give customers options. E-commerce is becoming more and more popular and it is important that a new business uses the internet to market; otherwise it would be hard to compete.

Keep the Loyal Customers

Holding on to a customer who is angry or disappointed costs much less than attempting to get a new one. Just because a customer is agitated does not mean that they will never return. Loyal customers are most important because they are the ones who guarantee sales. Make every customer feel like they are an asset and are appreciated. If a customer feels like they have a relationship with a company or somebody in it, they will most likely always come back. The loyal customers in this case would be the ones doing the marketing for the business.

Guest post from Bailey Harris. Bailey writes for www.businessinsurance.org.

This is a list of the best startup blogs I know, ranked daily based on traffic, search authority and online buzz. These blogs have really informative articles which provide excellent advice for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to start their own company. I have not included blog like TechCrunch, Xconomy, Venture Beat etc. because frankly, these blogs I find are much more useful for well-established enterprises and personally, I feel they include too many technical and hardcore jargon that fails to interest me.

So here is some hand sorted top blogs on startup and entrepreneurship that speak in simple words. These blogs together pack more entrepreneurial wisdom than you can handle:

OnStartups

Mixergy

Seth Godin

InfoChachkie

QuickSprout

Guy Kawasaki

SmallBizTrends

GrowThink

VentureBlog

KillerStartups

47Hats

Escape From Cubicle Nation

IttyBiz

StartupBlog

StartupBizTalk

Tony Wright

SpringWise

Dr Jeff Cornwall

JohnLBaptiste

EpicLaunch

and finally…CollegeFallOut

Thanks and do suggest more blogs to be added to this list.

This is one of the first interviews on CollegeFallOut. Here is the one-on-one exclusive interview with the Executive Director for NFTE (Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship) – Julie Silard Kantor. NFTE is one of the premier organizations which helps students in realizing their enterepreneurial potential.

Julia Silard Kantor - NFTE

In this interview she tells us about NFTE’s efforts to teach entrepreneurship. She also talks about the amazing trend where entrepreneurs are getting younger each passing day.

If you want to find some interesting entrepreneurship related statistics then you must read this interview. You can find her on Twitter here: http://www.twitter.com/NFTEJuliek

Enjoy!

1. First off, we all would like to know what is NFTE all about?

Today, NFTE is widely viewed as a world leader in promoting entrepreneurial literacy—helping youth achieve greater academic, personal, professional and financial success.  Close to 50,000 young people now participate in NFTE programs each year.  Our primary target audience is urban, low-income youth ages 11-18.

Since 1987 NFTE has:

·         Reached over 232,000 low-income youth

·         Trained more than 4,200 teachers and youth professionals

·         Launched programs in 22 states and 11 countries.

Established 12 regional offices in: Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Fairchester (Westchester NY & Fairfield CT), Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Washington DC.

The need for programs like NFTE that engage students in learning is becoming increasingly evident. In a survey commissioned by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on the dropout epidemic in our schools, a majority of high school students believe school instruction should be more relevant and engaging, to demonstrate the connection between school and work: “Four out of five (81 percent) said there should be more opportunities for real-world learning. They said students need to see the connection between school and getting a good job.” The Gates Foundation report recommends that “schools should develop options for students, including a curriculum that connects what they are learning in the classroom with real life experiences and with work.” NFTE can help address  high dropout rates through entrepreneurship education that uses experiential learning and real world concepts to keep students engaged in learning and reduce their risk for dropping out.

In a world where globalization has created a competitive work environment, those with fully developed business skills have a valuable advantage.  Entrepreneurial learning at an early age can dramatically expand cultural perspectives, economic opportunities, and the ability of young people to grow into effective leaders for our nation and the world.

2. How has the NFTE helped young entrepreneurs to realize their ambitions?

Working in partnership with schools, community-based organizations and teachers ,  NFTE impacts students’ basic academic and life skills through a hands-on entrepreneurship curriculum that reinforces math, reading and writing, and develops skills in critical thinking, teamwork, communication and decision-making. The curriculum covers and simplifies for young people a range of important topics — such as goal-setting, return on investment (both in business and in weighing out personal life decisions), supply and demand, opportunity recognition, personal finance, cost/benefit analysis, sales and marketing, venture capital, business ethics, debt vs. equity financing, and taxes — that are usually only found in post-graduate MBA courses. Management expert Peter Drucker once said that the weakest skill of beginning entrepreneurs was their business plans. As the centerpiece of the NFTE program, all students create, and present — in front of peers and often outside judges — a concise, viable business plan.

NFTE programs are taught in a variety of settings, including public schools, community-based organizations and summer BizCamps (a term trademarked by NFTE), and range in duration from 40-100 hours.  The NFTE program emphasizes learning by doing.  Experiential learning activities include site visits to local wholesale districts or discount stores, combined with selling events and recordkeeping, interacting with local entrepreneurs, and a business plan competition that often offers modest cash

prizes to the winners.  NFTE classes may be offered as “stand-alone” entrepreneurship course, or infused with economics, math, or other related subjects.

Community volunteers and business mentors play an essential role in bringing the real world into the classroom, connecting concepts to real-life situations and opportunities.  At the same time that students are gaining exposure to the principles of entrepreneurship, they are also learning the basics of math, reading, and writing — often without realizing it.  All of this together helps students (who might otherwise be at risk of dropping out of school) to develop the confidence and skills they need to succeed in school and in life.

Youth entrepreneurship education does work and the best way to illustrate its impact is through the achievements of program graduates. In 2008, BusinessWeek.com recognized two NFTE students among America’s Best Young Entrepreneurs:  (1) Jasmine Lawrence, 17 years old of New Jersey, President & CEO of EDEN Body Works (natural hair and body care solutions); and (2) Ippy Amatul-Wadud, 19 years old from Boston, President & CEO of Ippy’s Islamic Fashions (clothing design company).

3. What is the entrepreneurial potential that you have seen in the low-income communities?

Founded in 1987 by Steve Mariotti, a former business owner and New York City public high school teacher, the mission of NFTE (www.nfte.com)  is to provide entrepreneurship education programs to youth from low-income communities.  Our vision is that every young person will find a pathway to prosperity. As a math teacher in the South Bronx, Mariotti first established NFTE as a literacy and dropout prevention program for at-risk youth when he noticed that many of his students who could not read or write and had essentially been “written off” by the system, demonstrated a natural talent for entrepreneurship.  Further, he discovered that his “troubled” students had skills that, if fostered, could benefit them in business and in life.  These insights led him to formalize an entrepreneurship curriculum and establish NFTE as a way to introduce concepts of wealth creation and ownership to low-income young people worldwide.

NFTE uses entrepreneurship as a vehicle to engage students in school, expose them to the market economy and help to create an entrepreneurial mindset in order to remain competitive in the increasingly global marketplace.

NFTE’s strategy for achieving this mission is to:

• Partner with schools
• Create innovative, experiential and relevant curricula
• Train and support teachers
• Provide supportive alumni services
• Evaluate student outcomes

4. What is your take on Entrepreneurs getting younger and younger?

Its really where we are going Globally– there are so many great examples of young success stories– look at the founders of Facebook, Youtube… Bill Gates…  I heard at a conference recently that over 1 billion youth will be entering the workforce globally in the next 10 years– but there will only be 300 million jobs created– EEEKS— we need entrepreneurs to build, to innovate, to create jobs– this is REAL!

I also see a lot of young people deciding they dont want to work for a big corporation.  They want more freedom and to build themselves– its an amazing phenomenon and 1:2 people now work for a small business so we should really encourage young people to creat their own pathways and have many options in their lives, especially when the average American will have 10-14 jobs by the age of 38– you will — we all will– need an ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET– for survival!

There are indications that interest in entrepreneurship from American youth is increasing.  A recent survey in 2007 of Americans aged 8-21[1] found that:

·        40% of those surveyed said they would like to start a business someday.

·        63% said that if they worked hard, they could successfully start a new company.

·        59% knew someone who had started a business.

·        26% agreed that starting a business would be more desirable than other career opportunities.

I am very excited about a new report by the World Economic Forum a few days ago on the importance of Global Youth Entrepreneurship Education– NFTE’s founder Steve Mariotti wrote the youth section– here are some details:

– World Economic Forum releases

“Educating the Next Wave of Entrepreneurs”

Unlocking entrepreneurial capabilities to meet the global challenges of the 21st Century

http://www.weforum.org/en/index.htm <http://www.weforum.org/en/index.htm>

Announcement of the report and World Economic Forum’s engagement

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_jgCpLF0LA

THIS IS HUGE– the wind is there– we as a country need to get sailing on this one!! Especially now!!

——————————————————————————–

[1] “Kauffman Foundation Survey Finds Youth Energetic about Entrepreneurship,”  Kauffman Foundation Press Release, December 10, 2007.  Available at  www.kauffman.org.

5. Tell us something about your blog- Youthentrepreneurshiplady.

My blog is really an experiment in social media– I have a passion for writing and marketing even though its not my main focus (my main focus is to scale entrepreneurship education in America through key alliance buildings– US Department of Education, Labor, Justice, Aspen Institute Youth Entrepreneurship Strategy Group I run– see www.aspeninst.org/yesg ) There is so much going on right now in our country, with our new administration, with youth and education– I am enjoying using my blog http://youthentrepreneurshiplady.wordpress.com/ , facebook, twitter, slideshare to be a key resource for this powerful and growing field of youth entrepreneurship education.  I feel that we are sitting on a gold mine of potential to make a difference in the world and with youth and the economy– so many people are interested now in entrepreneurship– they however, do not know how it can scale and be implemented in a significant way– I feel like we are in a race to get that info and knowledge ‘out there’ as the field is still green and growing and we need major champions in all sectors …

I am really excited to share a new presentation we just built and posted Tanya’s Story- Youth Entrepreneurship in America http://www.slideshare.net/Juliek/tanyas-story-youth-entrepreneurship-in-america-nfte-presentation-4-20-09

6. What is the motivation that drives you to become an entrepreneur?

Oh G-d — its in my blood!!  I see the world now all through an entrepreneurial mindset. Being an entrepreneur in one’s life, work, family, decision making– everything has given me huge joy and freedom.  I wouldn’t want to be any other way– most of my friends are entrepreneurial too– its a mindset–

My father escaped from Hungary at the age of 18 to be FREE for ‘The American Dream,’ (the last 4 letters of the word Amer-ican are ‘I CAN’)  I feel very strongly that every young person should have the opportunity to explore their entrepreneurial potential.  I wrote a book about my personal growth and pathway as a social entrepreneur — I started at the age of 22– its called “I Said Yes! Real Life Stories of Teachers Youth and Leaders Saying YES! to Entrepreneurship in America’s Schools“

http://www.amazon.com/Stories-Students-Teachers-Entrepreneurship-Americas/dp/0976582368/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231191796&sr=8-1

Thank you, Mrs. Kantor for the insights on NFTE and entrepreneurship. I am sure my readers enjoyed and learned from it!

Creativity is the driving force behind most people who have been entrepreneurial successful. It is a term with which all of us are familiar with, yet, it remains a concept that most people are not fully aware of.

The value of creativity in entrepreneurship remains a concept which has not been explored at much depth. Creativity has the potential to find new solutions to a problem and bringing something new into existence. So it is easy to understand how valuable creativity is, considering, problem solving is what entrepreneur end up doing most of the time.

But how can an entrepreneur define creativity:

“Creativity is a person’s ability to think beyond the current limits of a domain, and the perseverance and willingness to take intellectual risks to produce something new within a context that is amenable to the transformable idea or product.”

When a person pursues creativity – it is what is called as pursuing entrepreneurship. The process of entrepreneurship is all about creativity. Creativity is applied to every startup idea, because a startup may be based on an innovative idea or as an improvement to the existing idea. And each idea is based on creativity.

A person who has an out-of-box thinking can easily fit into the role of an entrepreneur. It is because people who tend to have a linear thinking process are usually incapable to solve the abstract nature of problems experienced in startups. In such situations its only creativity that helps entrepreneurs dig their way out. This is why creativity plays such an important role in entrepreneurship.

Do share your views below. Thanks!

Who is better of the two sexes? This will be a never ending battle till the end of time. In this post, CollegeFallOut examines, are females better entrepreneurs than men.

Are Females Better Entrepreneurs Than Men?

Entrepreneurship is a field which needs an array of skill sets. And when we examine gender-wise, each of them has their own plus and minus points.

Women meet the needs required of an entrepreneur in today’s consumer driven world. Females just seem to have better perception, are more engaging and over all have better communication skills. This is something where men take a really bad beating as entrepreneurs.

Women are coming into their own because the way of marketing is changing. They might not be hard-sellers like men but they have a great way to impress through a softer way of approaching which is much more invaluable in today’s scene. Females are very good at adapting their approach personalizing to an individual.

Women bring in much less testosterone ego. Many men become numb-skulls when there are decisions to be made where their ego comes into play. Females care very less about their ego as long as their work gets done. This is a major factor that can affect entrepreneurial careers of men and women.

A little bit of sexiness never hurt anyone!

Women do the sexy very good, something which men (sigh!) have a long way to go at. A flutter of the eye-lashes and most females will find half their job done.

But Hang on…

If you men are upset after reading the post so far, there are also drawback in females entrepreneurs. The following problems are the most usually witnessed:

• Bitchiness
• Jealousy of younger counterparts
• Screeching debates
• Bringing unnecessary sexual tension to the conference room with inappropriate dress sense

The above are a few negatives to mention as far as women are concerned – as entrepreneurs. Then again, these traits will also vary from each individual.

There are many many male entrepreneurs who can beat their female counterparts hands down because they are better listeners, more sincere, and more willing to do the right thing. Which is all that matter is the end irrespective of whether you are a male or female. It is unfair to simply generalize women are better entrepreneurs or vice-versa.

I hope you found the post insightful. Do leave your comments on this below!

In recent years networking has become a pretty big deal. One of the many avenues used for networking are conferences. There are conferences on anything from hair styling to lobbying. Entrepreneurship is no different. In today’s world where start-ups are becoming increasingly popular and it is no longer uncommon to know someone who has started their own business, it is safe to say that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well. Naturally it makes sense for these like-minded individuals to congregate. Just like other conferences Entrepreneurial conferences bring together a host of diverse individuals with a common interest in entrepreneurship.

There are undoubtedly many different entrepreneurial conferences held throughout the year, but it is important to note that there are a few that stand out amongst the others. Below are the Top 10 Entrepreneurial Conferences around the United States.

• This conference is a well-known conference for entrepreneurs. Founded in 1955 the USASBE has a longstanding history of providing support to entrepreneurial communities. This year’s conference will focus on providing information on educational programs in entrepreneurship and discuss effective teaching and establishing a curriculum.

• The WBDC sponsored Women’s Entrepreneurship Conference is designed to help women become more successful business leaders. With five different dates and locations the conference offers a variety of events. Attendees have the option of networking with individuals at the corporate level, exploring the Buyers Mart, listening to informational speakers, and participating in workshops on how to create more effective marketing strategies and the best ways to start a business. The conference also offers sponsorship opportunities to business leaders who would like to offer financial assistance to the planning and execution of the conference.

• The GCEC Conference has become well know as a conference that connects entrepreneurs across the nation. This year the theme focuses on networking and how it can positively influence the entrepreneurship in an academic setting. To correspond with the educational emphasis placed on this year’s event, the conference will be held at Penn State. The conference also provides participants from different institutions, such as universities and various foundations for entrepreneurship, the chance to interact and exchange ideas.

• TiECON hosts the world’s largest conference for entrepreneurs. The conference features various activities such as Business Bootcamp and exhibits by top companies. In addition to all the serious events which naturally correspond with a business conference, attendees also have the opportunity to relax and unwind at a banquet featuring entertainment on the last night of the conference.

• The Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (CEO), as its name might suggest, is especially designed for college students with entrepreneurial goals and interests. This organization offers both regional and national conferences and different branches universities and colleges across the nation. This regional conferences focus on members finding local support and resources while the national conferences focus on a larger scale of networking.

• Northwestern University’s Kellogg Alumni Entrepreneurship Conference is one such conference that allows alums to reconvene to focus on their interests. The conference is hosted by the Kellogg School of Management and the Larry and Carol Levy Institute for Entrepreneurial Practice.

• Another conference that focuses on connecting collegiate entrepreneurship programs is the Entreprelliance Conference. This conference, founded in 2005 is a way for collegiate scholars, administrators, and educators to stay up to date and connected with other entrepreneurial programs.

• Babson College’s MBA Program has ranked first in entrepreneurship for the past seventeen years. The school was the first to create a global conference focused on entrepreneurial research, and develop a symposium for educators in the entrepreneurial field. With that said its no surprise that the Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference is one of the top entrepreneurship conferences.

• Following behind Babson as another school with a top program in entrepreneurship, Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business hosts the Conference on Entrepreneurship. This conference features keynote speakers that discuss what factors create sustainable businesses.

• The Growth 2.0 Conference is hosted by Entrepreneur Magazine and various seminars and speakers and even offers participants the chance to have their business featured in Entrepreneur Magazine. Subjects discussed at this conference include strategies to build up a business and internet marketing strategies.

Erika Evonna Streeter is a guest blogger for My Dog Ate My Blog and a writer on online colleges and universities for Guide to Online Schools. You too can do a guest post on CollegeFallOut.