Meet Paulo Sousa, Web Developer and Publisher

Paulo Sousa moved from Brazil to America in 1995. He has always been passionate about computers and technology, and around the same time that he came to the US, he began researching the workings of the internet. Soon he discovered the secret to ranking at the top of search engine results. This discovery made him one of the pioneers on SEO field, when this word still did not exist.

Over time, he became interested in e-commerce and attended Boston University to study web development. In 2010 he started a self-publishing website, www.e-selfpress.com. Since late 2015, he has been revamping and updating this site to provide more resources for customers. Learn more by following e-selfpress on Facebook. You can also learn more about Paulo and his work on http://www.askpaulo.com/.

1. How was SEO changed since you first began learning about it and using it?

When we look back 20 years ago, we did not have the idea of how SEO would change the way to do business online. SEO in those old days was a very simple thing to do, since the search engines then did not have enough technology to evaluate all aspects of the site. Today, the engines acts like a very smart human being, looking at every aspect of the site in order to deliver the best results for the searchers. Today, we have many more areas to work on each site to achieve a good recognition on the engines.

The engines are getting smarter and smarter, acting like a human. But 20 years ago, if you just created a good title for your site, it would be enough. Today, titles still remain as important as before, but they're just a fraction of the game. The engine needs to read your site, and follow the links from and towards to the site in order to understand what is the site is about. It's very easy for a person who does not know SEO but understands HTML to make a web site and fail to please the search engines with information in the source code of the page.

To succeed today, you have to start with a domain where you have keywords on it, instead of choosing a URL that does not tell anything to the search engine. We always have a solution when we talk to our clients. Of course you can always work on names that do not have keywords in them. If you sell, for instance, mattresses, the ideal URL should have mattress in it. This factor increases your relevance to the engines, and a website with this behavior gets some consideration of the engine doing that.

In short, each business website is evaluated differently, but the evolution has been huge.

2. What interests you most about doing web development work?

First of all, I love to see the happiness of my clients at the delivery of the work. The second beauty of this work is to perform a search and see your results in the top results of search engines. This is a priceless reward.

3. Would you tell us a little more about how you and your wife got into writing and publishing e-books and how you found success in that project?

Before I had even thought about starting my self-publishing website www.e-selfpress.com, I wrote a book about Secrets of the iPad, since Apple did not sell the iPad with a manual. This book became a bestselling book in Brazil. After that success, I decided to create my own publishing platform to help people in Brazil.

With my knowledge on SEO, I received over 70K "likes" on my Facebook page ( www.fb.com/eselfpress) in just one year, and then I knew I was on the right path.

Last December (2015), I decided to invest $96K to rebuild the platform which will be done at the end of September (2016) when I will re-launch the platform with a wide advertising campaign on the internet.

The success came because people were looking for such services in Brazil. I had an entrepreneur here in USA and also in Brazil who came after me offering an investment in my eSelfPress project. I did not accept by that time, since I could handle financially the initial expenses of the project. So I declined, but now, after the new version been made available, I can talk with potential investors about it.

4. Why did you decide to start e-SelfPress, and what are the services you provide?

The decision to start e-SelfPress came after the success of my book "Segredos e Atalhos do iPad" when I discovered that the world was changing the way to buy, sell, write, and read books.

We provide a friendly environment where people can easily understand the concept of how to use our platform. We offer services such as cover design, proof writing, and a free ISBN for those who also buy our services for wide distribution on stores such as Barnes & Noble, Apple Store and more.

The list of services is available in Brazilian currency at http://e-selfpress.com/services.

5. As someone who provides services to people in many different countries, what would you like people all over the world to know about you and your business?

We are very serious about business, and our goal is always make people happy by giving then the best option to write and sell their books. I know that writing a book is only part of the process: writers need to learn how to market their book.

We have a blog that we will teach writers how to succeed like I did with my book Segredos e Atalhos do iPad. That is going to be a big difference between e-SelfPress and the other guys. We are also going to help people who want to write a book and do not have an idea. We will help them to create content.

Please feel free to contact me at paulo@askpaulo.com. Thanks, Paulo!

Meet Asif Zamir, Toronto Business Consultant

Asif Zamir lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and started working to help support his family when he was around six years old. By the time he was a teenager, he had worked for several companies and also been self-employed. Over time, he began working as a consultant to help businesses succeed, with an emphasis on new, small businesses in the startup stage. He devotes much of his time to ministry and philanthropic work.

Learn more about Asif by visiting AsifZamir.com.

1. When, as a young man, did you realize that you wanted to go into business for yourself?

When I was young, around age 6, I would sell candy door to door, and people would buy from me because I was cute. I liked the freedom of managing my finances and setting a schedule. At age 15, I dropped out of high school and started my own business consulting company. To be honest, I didn't have much of a choice; I had to drop out of high school and start a business because I was dirt poor for the majority of my life, and we were struggling to get by financially. So I took a chance at doing something more with my life than just getting by. It's not like traditional jobs were paying big money to teens back then, so I needed to start a business to have a shot at real money.

2. How do you choose the business ventures that you want to pursue?

When I was young and dumb; even 8 years ago it was all about the money, and that gave me nothing but heartache and stress. Now I think about my happiness and my relationship with the client. I'd like to make money, lots of money, but I'd also like to build a friendship. I'd like my client to reach or surpass their goal, but I'd also like to enjoy the entire process. If I can gain a friend, that's ideal, and if we can both make a lot of money, that's even more ideal.

3. What's your advice to other people who want to be self-employed but aren't sure where to invest their time and money?

My honest advice is to not be self-employed. Honestly, it's a lot of hard work before you reach your goals, usually 10 years. Most people can't handle this, and it destroys their marriage and self-esteem. If you understand this fact and still want to do it, have a vision for the long term. I see so many people fail because they think, "I'll start a business today and be successful tomorrow, and if not, then I'll quit!" And those people always fail every time. But people who have a vision for 10-20-30 years always succeed. Always. Take a look at any success story: the person worked for many years to achieve what they wanted. Go ahead and read 100 success stories online, and you'll see that it usually averages out to more than 10 years of hard work. People who think it takes a few weeks or months are mentally insane. Go ahead and invest in your education. If you're going into a business, know everything about that business. When I was 15, I read every book available in the library and bookstore. I find if people won't even read a book on a subject, they aren't really interested.

4. How do you find time to do all the philanthropic work that you do?

That's where my life gets tough. Typically people want financial freedom for the purpose of gaining time, and so I've gained time, and now I use up all my time by giving it away. It's tough for me to balance it out because everyone wants an hour, or a hundred people want ten minutes, and I'm learning to say no to a lot of people and a lot of invites. I try my best to take it as it comes to me. A few days ago I had a relaxing evening planned for myself but instead spent it visiting someone in the hospital who specifically requested my visit. I won't get another relaxing evening in for a while, but I'm trying my best to keep my life balanced; like I said it's a struggle for me.

5. What projects are you currently working on, both business and charitable endeavors?

I'm working on one of the most interesting business ideas ever with a lady who wanted to run errands for strangers. She's very rich now and has a full staff. I helped her set up her website, and draw up a plan and structure, and most importantly I helped her set realistic goals and gain her first 250 clients and hire her first employees. Gosh, she's basically more successful than me now. She charges anywhere from $50-$200/hour to do any errand for you. She's been asked to wait at a person's house for the cable man, to pretend to be a friend to an executive at a dinner, and everything in between; usually it's dropping off dry cleaning and picking up groceries, things along those lines. She makes a fortune, and I really enjoy this project; I'll be sad when my contract is finished.

I'm also participating in a beta-stage project which involves having churchwomen go to the streets, and paying prostitutes to attend church services so that they can connect with God, people, and social workers who will help them get out of the sex industry permanently. The project has been mostly successful, and I find that it's sustainable. Changing one life each week, helping one person at a time, it really adds up. Actually this one lady, she was really young when we met her in downtown Toronto years back, and she's graduated college now and you would never tell she worked the streets. She's brilliant and she's reaching her life goals.

Thanks, Asif!

Meet Ralph Masengill, Author and Advisor

Ralph Masengill is a best selling author of two books, Beat the Curve and Conquer Change and Win. He is a coach and advisor. He is a graduate of The University of Tennessee, and the post graduate of the Edwards Deming program on quality and change. Learn more about him by visiting Masengill.com.

1. How did you get the idea for your book, Conquer Change and Win?

I saw that so many smart, well-rounded, and secure individuals and many of the employees who work for them have no clue about how to change correctly. 90% of the population has no clue about change and its effects that always happen. The same story is true in families as well.

2. What are some common misconceptions that people have about change?

Misconceptions: Change is not constant. Change positive or negative has the same effect on all of us. They generally believe that all change does not cause some form of pain. It does. Many fear change but most do not want to admit it. Do not believe that most of us will not change until the pain of not changing is greater than the pain of changing. Believe that taking a calculated risk is almost like gambling. It is not. With change we will always be asked to take a calculated risk.

3. How does your work in PR influence your work as an author?

I believe it does have a positive effect. The root of a solid public relations expert is understanding people. That is the first thing you must know in order to succeed in PR.

4. What is your advice to people who are facing change that they see as negative yet unavoidable?

There is such a thing as negative change. When you know and understand how change operates in the world, you will also see much of what the majority calls negative pain is in fact positive change in disguise.

5. What else would you like readers to know about you and your work?

Huge change is on the way. No matter who wins the national election in November, we are all going to experience great change over the next two years. How many times has change disrupted your life, left you feeling off-kilter, caused you to miss opportunities or react without thinking? Every one of us is constantly affected by change. Change never stops, and whether it's positive change or not, our first reaction is usually fear. The truly successful people of the world have a good understanding of change and how to make it work to their advantage. My book offers an easy to read and fun approach to this serious topic of change in our lives.

Thanks, Ralph!

Meet Chris Spaulding, Creator of the Simple Marketing System

Creator of The Simple Marketing System®, Chris Spaulding is a marketing consultant and on-demand lead generation specialist. With more than 13 years experience in direct response marketing, copywriting, and face-to-face selling Chris has a proven track record of success. He knows how to sell. In the Simple Marketing System, Chris has created an intuitive, scalable, customized approach to marketing and selling products and service off- and online. The Simple Marketing System is a multi-step approach to growing a business that increases leads and sales without spending more money on marketing. Chris is also an adjunct professor in the Rutgers University mini-MBA programs.

1. What inspired you to create your Simple Marketing System?

Well, my background is sales and marketing. I started off in real estate and then moved to selling consulting services to the financial industry. I've always been sort of a business growth addict, and I consume anything I can get my hands on related to business growth. Sales, marketing, copywriting, anything that can help me more effectively convince someone to buy.

While I learned something useful from every book I read, every course I took, or every cd I listened to, there was no real system or framework behind it all I could use to put it all together. I took a little bit from one expert and a little bit from another and applied it to the businesses I was involved in.

Then, after a lot of frustration, I realized, in order for a business to be successful, it needs two types of systems. And, if you can build these systems, you can grow any business predictably. First, there needs to be systems to find, engage, and convert prospects to paying clients, customers, or patients. Then, there needs to be systems to increase the value of current and past clients.

Most businesses only concentrate on finding new clients, and they practice what I call "random acts of marketing." They do everything tactically, with no clear strategy around growing their business.

That's why I created Business Marketing Solutions and the Simple Marketing System. I wanted to give business owners a way to strategically grow their businesses by creating a steady, predictable flow of new business, and a way to maximize the business they already have.

2. Why is lead generation so difficult for many people?

Most business owners and unfortunately most people who hold themselves out as marketing or advertising professionals do not know or do not understand the purpose of marketing. They practice random acts of marketing, and they are always looking for the "next big thing" or some magic bullet that will solve all of their business woes rather than thinking and acting strategically. Because they don't know how to effectively generate leads, they constantly worry where their next client will come from. They stay up at night and wonder how they will keep the lights on or make payroll. This is no way to run a business, and it affects their whole life.

As I said before, businesses need systems to find and convert new prospects into high value clients. There are three steps to creating effective lead generation. Unfortunately, most businesses skip the first step.

To create marketing or lead generation programs that work, you need to deeply understand who your ideal prospect is. Not just their demographics, but also their psychographics. You need to know their interests, behaviors, beliefs, values, fears, goals, etc. so you can reach them effectively. You need to understand what problem they have or what goal they are trying to achieve and how your product or service fits in. What problem does it solve? What transformation does it deliver that your ideal prospect cares about?

As behavioral expert Wyatt Woodsmall said, "If you can describe someone's problem better than they can describe it themselves, they will naturally assume you have the solution." As a marketer or business owner, you have to have a deep understanding of who your ideal prospects are. Most marketers make lots of costly assumptions and never take the time to develop this understanding of their target market. Because they skip this step, it becomes very hard for them to create effective offers and compelling messages that capture their markets attention and generate quality leads for their business.

This is why we created our "on-demand lead generation" services. We use cutting edge technology to generate high quality, highly qualified leads for our clients, and it all starts with getting deep inside the heads of our ideal prospects.

3. Can you give us an example of a marketing-related activity that a lot of businesses are making a lot harder for themselves than it should be?

Most businesses make marketing and business growth overall a lot more complicated than it has to be. It is not easy, but it is not rocket science either. As we discussed a little while ago, most businesses are tactical, not strategic. They are constantly worried about generating revenue to meet their immediate needs, like payroll. It's like their business is living paycheck-to-paycheck. What they need to do is strategically engineer a plan to get their business where they want it to be.

Part of this is to develop systems to generate clients and systems to increase the values of the ones they already have. Rather than running an ad in a local newspaper, doing some radio or TV, trying google AdWords, or whatever other media they can find, businesses need to assess where they are today, optimize their current marketing assets and then, look to strategically implement new marketing channels. Before the business starts introducing new means of attracting customers, they need to first make sure they are fully leveraging everything they are doing today. This is a core philosophy within The Simple Marketing System.

They also need to realize that the only purpose of marketing is to generate profits for their business. It is not to be cute, creative, or funny. Most of what passes for marketing today is pathetic. Results matter, period. If a business runs a campaign and it sells, that is good. If it doesn't, it's not, and it needs to be stopped or changed until it starts generating positive ROI. Unfortunately, most businesses are sold immeasurable marketing. If you can't track the success or failure of a campaign, don't run it.

I recently had a client tell me she was told it could take up to a year for an ad she is running in a local paper to generate a return. The media salesman told her she first needs to build brand recognition. Brand recognition has its place, but it doesn't trump ROI. BS like this gets me so mad. Too many businesses are led down this path.

4. What do you most enjoy about working in the marketing field?

I love interacting with entrepreneurs and figuring out how to take their business to the next level. Whether it's turning around a struggling business, helping a startup get into profitability, or taking a six or seven figure business to the next level, I love working with and having the opportunity to help entrepreneurs.

5. For a small business owner who is feeling stuck when it comes to growing their business, what's your best advice for starting to get un-stuck and learning how to find new clients/customers?

Focus on marketing. It is the most powerful leverage point within your business. It's critical that you learn how to generate clients, customers, or patients on-demand, and you have to know how to get the most value from the ones you already have.

I offer free 30 minute Business Opportunity Strategy sessions to business owners to help you get started. You can apply on my website, www.SimpleMarketingSystem.com.

Meet Mickey Mikeworth, CFO and Business Consultant

Mickey Mikeworth is a Chief Financial Officer based in Minneapolis/St. Paul who consults with small business owners. I previously interviewed her for this blog back in December 2012, when she discussed the connections between prosperity and philanthropy. Today she tells us more about success for businesses of all sizes. Learn more about her on LinkedIn, and follow her on Facebook.

1. How did you become interested in focusing your work on small business owners?

My favorite part of working with business owners is their courage to be active in their own thoughts. They are willing to express ideas and will take the risk of moving those ideas forward.

My focus has always been on prosperity in action, and business is a natural fit for those ideas. I built a business model that supports the rapid and sustainable growth of business, and it can be applied to all businesses. The Prosperity Based Business Model is the business model that all of my clients use. We focus on three parts of the business: efficiency, economy, and environment.

2. What does it mean to you for a business to invest in its customers?

Investing in the customer is about taking the experience of customer as your primary and foundational investment and reason for being in business.

Companies can invest in things that may not "look like" they create revenue, but they actually do. I did a walk-through with a restaurant the other day, and the sidewalks were dirty, the sign was bent, and the food looked like it was tossed on a plate. We reviewed what the customer would like to see in their establishment, and it made the entire business planning efforts change. The business owner invested in better care of their customers. They power-washed the sidewalk and every part of the establishment, upgraded the bathrooms, added lighting and swag, chose bright-colored fresh foods, created options for smaller portions, and added a huge happy hour. Now the customer can feel great about stopping by for a clean experience and healthy food at a low price. This is a very different approach than the outdated fried menu they had been serving.

3. How can a business invest in creativity?

Pick a creativity budget. Investing in new ideas costs money and time. Budgets give financial direction and help everyone tune into the opportunities that are possible to invest in. I have seen budgets build a monthly breakfast meeting with a mountain of art supplies and a topic, annual business tour parties that brought the staff to new places for inspiration, and budgets used for group improvisational lessons.

Give permission to look at the WOW of services that are being delivered and received. Taking a real look at how to improve everyday situations to be spectacular will really pay off. I have seen a retail store add giftwrapping to every purchase, house cleaners leave behind hand-wrapped caramels that they made on an antique dish, and staff office meeting transform by adding floral bouquets for each staff member to take home.

Turn in the open sign: Open yourself and your team to accepting ideas that may not match the rest of your business. Adding in ideas that stretch thinking will also stretch the perception of how your business will fit into new market areas. Google was once a new invention.

4. Tell us about some of the unique partnerships you have seen clients forge with unconventional businesses.

These are by far my favorite part of opening your thinking. I have seen a coffee shop partner with an urban farmer to grow crops ON the coffee shop and create an additional revenue stream through a market opportunity to sell produce real time out of the existing coffee space. They try to have something fresh every day in either vegetables or flowers. The shop smells wonderful.

I have seen simple and effective geographical pairings, like a tax office that specialized in artists which chose a location right next to an artist boutique shop.

My last project paired a luxury hand-crafted ice cream company with a remodeling company, and they added an ice-cream party to clients after they finished remodeling their kitchens or decks. They had the common investment in handcrafted quality. I am still waiting for an opportunity to pair knitters and sewers with the exotic pet industry. I see so much creative energy that could be generated into real innovative products to appeal to an already artistic crowd.

5. If you could give just three pieces of advice to a person wanting to grow their business what would you say?

Invest in your own ideas. Ideas need attention through research and development. Commit to doing the work of the necessary financially planning for those ideas to come to fruit. Planning creative time is a prerequisite to growth because it is so hard to draw five or ten hours out of already packed schedules.

Integrate new capital resources. Not all capital is cash. There are actually ten different types of capital that we invest. Sometimes the reason a product becomes popular is about emotional or social capital.

Step out and invite in new energy. Getting top-notch advice will allow profit margins to grow faster. Just the action of exploring with someone new will give life to the business. There is so much great talent out there, and consultants are waiting to serve. Don't let your attachment to the cost of hiring a consultant constrain your thinking. Coaching as an investment usually pays out at a rate of $4 to every $1 invested.

Thanks, Mickey!

Meir Ezra on Establishing and Selling Successful Companies

Have you heard of Meir Ezra? He taught himself computer programming and went on to start and then sell some successful companies. He got his start as an entrepreneur when he came up with data dictionary editor called Addicted, and he also is known for developing FuelSafe, a fuel and fleet management system. His current project is TimeMaker LLC, a software development company with an emphasis on business communication and task management.

I'd be happy to start and sell just one great idea, but Ezra has the knack for developing ideas and has been able to repeat his performance as a top entrepreneur. If you'd like to learn more about this creative businessperson, check out the interview with Meir Ezra on Exit This Way.

Exit This Way is a podcast series hosted by Kerri Salls, a well-known exit strategist. If you want create and then sell a business, this is a unique series with conversations about how to create a strong business, make it attractive to buyers, and plan ahead so that you'll be able to choose to exit your business at the right time. The show lets listeners benefit from the experience of the guests, who are CEOs and experts in business planning and exit strategy.