While a student at Princeton University, Tom had a vision. What if you took waste such as plastic soda bottles, saved them from landfills and reused them? He answered his own question when he left Princeton in 2002 to follow his dream and TerraCycle, affectionately referred to as the “worm poop company,” was born.

Tom Szaky, Founder of TerraCycle, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. Tom will share some the tips and strategies he used to turn garbage into gold.

Here’s a sampling from the show:

• Upcycling programs — drive the creative force behind Tom’s company. Collection system chains are in place for collecting waste products such as wine bottle corks, Oreo wrappers, Capri Sun wrappers, plastic bottles and more. These items will then be reused, in their original form, and recycled into new products for distribution into the market.

• A small business or entrepreneur — should not be intimidated by large retailers. Tom’s first two orders were placed by WalMart and Home Depot. The competition to drive your prices down will only be felt if you have others with similar offerings to compete with. But if your product is truly unique, you’ll stand alone. The majority of the American public shops at these large retailers and your presence there is important.

• Do not fear rejection — because you can only gain from the experience. If you’re told no, you loose nothing because you didn’t have it anyway. Never fear!

• Bootstrapping was used — to build TerraCycle. But angel investors, private wealthy men and women willing to invest funds, will give you much more freedom than other options would.

Would you like to learn more about building and conducting an eco-friendly business? You can do so by listening to Tom’s full interview by clicking the red and yellow player below.

Brought to you by our sponsor:

Infusionsoft.com

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 Garbage to Gold: Organic, Eco-Friendly Business [27:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Do you have a question for our upcoming radio show guest?

Cathy Siciliano, Senior Director of Marketing at Elance, is joining us on Small Business Trends Radio on Tuesday, September 2nd at 1:30PM EST to share tips on the best practices for working with an outside freelancer or consultant. From defining the project scope to finding the right person all the way to setting up the engagement and managing the work.

If you have a question for Cathy, we’ll try to present it to her during the live show. The deadline for your questions is Monday, September 1st at noon Eastern time.

Ask away below in the comments section!

Posted by Staci Wood | Comments (4) | Permalink

Many aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners have suffered a setback or two. And many more have made failed attempts at entrepreneurship altogether. Some go on to try again while others feel defeated. Many of you have heard that old saying, “That which does not kill you, only makes you stronger.” There’s definitely some truth to that - even when it comes to business.

Barry Moltz, Entrepreneur, Author and Motivational Speaker, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. Barry explains how to thrive through the cycle of success and failure and he’ll show you how to gain the skill of true business confidence that determines which of us succeed in the long run.

Here’s a sampling from the show:

• When a failure takes place — you may be temporarily paralyzed - but you have to “bounce” back. Taking action, moving in a different direction and making money is one way to do that. The more actions taken to get to a new place, the more success you’ll have overcoming it. Allow yourself an ample amount of time to recover from the setback, then make a conscious decision to pull yourself out of it and begin to take action.

• Take control of your thoughts — and develop skills to take charge of how you’re feeling by being action oriented and using mentors and friends to lean on and encourage you.

• Downsize your dreams — and strive for achievement by learning to focus on one task at a time. Multi-tasking doesn’t grant much productivity and setting interim goals will help you achieve your “grand vision” faster and define the path to reach it more clearly - one step at a time.

As humans, we all make mistakes and failures. Steve, our show’s co-host, gave a good example of that during the show when he pointed out that even as infants, we all fail at our first footsteps before finally getting it right.

So are you ready to begin to successfully overcome a failure and/or prepare yourself for the next one? You can find a review of Barry’s new book “Bounce” here and listen to his full interview by clicking the red and yellow player below.

Brought to you by our sponsor:

Infusionsoft.com

Listen Now:

 How Failure and Resiliency Can Build Business Confidence [27:56m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted by Staci Wood | Comments (7) | Permalink

Do you have a question for our upcoming radio show guest?

Tom Szaky, Founder of TerraCycle, is joining us on Small Business Trends Radio on Tuesday, August 26th at 1:30PM EST to discuss how he took waste such as plastic soda bottles, saved them from landfills and reused them to package his product. And what’s his product you ask? It’s organic fertilizer or worm “poo” to be exact. In addition to various other “green” products such as backpacks, lunch boxes and homework folders made from recycled Capri Sun pouches, organic cleaners and lawn care products.

If you have a question for Tom, we’ll try to present it to him during the live show. The deadline for your questions is Monday, August 25th at noon Eastern time.

Ask away below in the comments section!

Posted by Staci Wood | Comments (4) | Permalink

Holding a design contest to get your new logo created can be very different than using a conventional design firm. Some of the one on one interaction of working with an individual designer is sometimes sacrificed for the variety you receive with a design contest.

George Ryan, Founder of eLogoContest, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. George outlines the differences between the two and explains how to run a successful design contest.

Here’s a sampling from the show:

• A logo contest — has many benefits but the biggest is options. When using a design firm, you are usually limited to one or two designers providing several submissions to review. Running a logo contest yields results from over 600 worldwide designers offering a slew of different submissions. It’s much nicer to receive 50 submissions vs. the handful that a design firm would submit. Affordability is another benefit. A successful contest can be run for as little as $100.

• For small businesses — it’s important to respond to every entry submitted to your contest. Encouragement for the designer’s creativity and your involvement in your own contest is important to see.

• Benefits for the designers — include the experience gained, valuable feedback and additions to their portfolio. They also have the ability to earn income without first having a large portfolio or years of experience. When chosen, the designer is then placed in direct contact with the client to offer a broader range of services to them.

• The length of time it takes — to run a logo contest vs. a design firm depends on the client. Most are run for 10 days, however, many clients find a logo they love within the first two days, others are a bit choosier.

Before starting your contest, put time into what your expectations are. What are the “must haves” within the logo design? What is the overall theme or message you’re attempting to convey? Designers are not psychic - the more information you provide upfront for them - the happier you will be with their submitted designs.

Ready for your new logo design? Learn how by listening to George’s full interview by clicking the red and yellow player below.

Brought to you by our sponsor:

Infusionsoft.com

Listen Now:

 How To Revolutionize Your Logo Design [28:32m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted by Staci Wood | Comments (8) | Permalink

Do you have a question for our upcoming radio show guest?

We’re all tested in life. You’ve heard that old saying, “That which does not kill you, only makes you stronger.” Setbacks and failures are disappointing - but surviving them can teach you valuable lessons. Lessons that better prepare you and propel you forward in life.

Barry Moltz, Entrepreneur, Author and Motivational Speaker is joining us on Small Business Trends Radio on Tuesday, August 19th at 1:30PM EST. Barry will explain how to thrive through the cycle of success and failure and he’ll show you how to gain the skill of true business confidence that determines which of us succeed in the long run.

If you have a question for Barry, we’ll try to present it to him during the live show. The deadline for your questions is Monday, August 18th at noon Eastern time.

Ask away below in the comments section!

Posted by Staci Wood | Comments (6) | Permalink

Nowadays, with the Internet in place there are many entrepreneurs and “would be” entrepreneurs that have started – or want to start - their own business. But all too often, many of them fall prey to the common pitfalls and mistakes associated with a startup.

John Holsen, Founder of BizSugar, is our featured guest in this Episode of The Small Business Trends Radio. John shares lessons he’s learned from over 17 years of helping small business owners and from starting his own business ventures and he identifies common mistakes that even experienced business owners make and offers tips to help put your business back on track.

Here’s a sampling from the show:

• Is your business going to — meet needs or demands within the market? Before starting your business, you need to ask yourself that question - and answer it with a “yes.” This is the number one mistake many entrepreneurs make. Next, find a natural advantage through partnering, associations or uniqueness of your product to assist in receiving exposure or pre-existing client bases.

• Don’t focus on — marketing “rules.” These are simply guidelines that have been found to have more successful results but they are not written in stone and it’s important to be flexible and test what works and what doesn’t to develop a truly successful marketing strategy for your business.

• Don’t spread yourself — too thin. Many times, entrepreneurs end up viewing everything proposed to them as an opportunity. If you’re going to say “yes” to each opportunity you encounter, make sure you have the support staff to assist you in your business and your entrepreneurial endeavors. It’s better to choose your path and stick to it to remain focused. This may require saying “no” to things you view as potential opportunities if you do not have the staff in place to assist you.

Want to learn how Bizsugar can assist you and your business? Listen to John’s full interview by clicking the red and yellow player below.

Brought to you by our sponsor:

Infusionsoft.com

Listen Now:

 Avoid These Common Pitfalls When Starting A Business [28:16m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted by Staci Wood | Comments (4) | Permalink