Born on the East Coast, raised on the tough streets of Philly, a Royal Spirit, learned early that life's experiences is the best teacher and, nothing comes to a sleeper but a dream. I have been helping people start their own businesses for over twenty years and revel in the challenge of helping others navigate through life's challenges, Spiritual, Mental, Physical. Developing a love and affection for people of all walks of life allow us to benefit from the vast richness of the collective body of spirit and knowledge. A ROYAL-SPIRIT with a passion to assist others to reach and, achieve their goals. The Secret Work will- expose you to important and critical information that, if applied will, truly empower and transform the life of those whom are ready to receive it. Remember Knowledge Is Power but, The proper use of Knowledge is Supreme!

DARREN HERBOLD JUNE 25, 2013 My Top Productivity Tools 2013

I sometimes get asked what various types of tools/applications I use. So I thought I would make a list of my current top productivity tools (June 2013). If you think there is a better option,or have a recommendation, please let me know in the comments below. Disclaimer: I use a Mac and am a big iOS fan, so everything below works on my Macbook pro.

Blogging

WordPress Plugins:I use various plugins. That’s probably a separate post. If you want to know what they are leave a comment and I’ll write out the list for you.
DreamHost: If you choose to create a website with WordPress (which I recommend) You will need to sign up with a web host. There are many great articles, comparisons, etc. I have used many web hosts and have found Dreamhost to be reliable, great with support and fairly priced. They are currently charging $8.95/mth I currently host all my websites with them for the one monthly fee.
Disqus: I have had an on and off again relationship with Disqus over the years. With their newest update they have completely won me over. They make it simple for your users to comment and also do a great job “socializing” your comments throughout the various social media networks.
Feedburner: With the demise of Google Reader it might not be long for FeedBurner to find the same fate. However, until that time I find FeedBurner and easy way for reader to subscribe to my blog. I currently am also using their email tool which allows readers to have my blog posts automatically emailed to them once published.
Studio Press: I’m currently using the “Balance Theme” I think The Studio Press team makes some of the best, if not the best, WordPress themes currently available. You can alway check out their discounted theme of the month here.
Google Analytics: I use Google analytics for all my web traffic analysis. It’s the gold standard of all web analytics software. And its free.
Freedigitalphotos.net & MoregueFile: I, almost exclusively, use royalty free photographs on my blog. You can pay for premium services, I just don’t think you have to. Above are tow of the most common sites I go to for royalty free pictures.
MailChimp: I have a mailchimp account and use it with some of my other websites. As I have not yet integrated a newsletter feature on my personal blog, I don’t use it here. However, I prefer mailchimp over aweber, but i think both are great options.
VaultPress: You want to back up your files. I use Vaultpress for the backups of all my online business ventures. If I generate revenue from a website I pay for a professional backup. VaultPress was developed by Automattic, the same people who built WordPress.
WordPress: I love WordPress. It’s relatively easy to use, well documented and has literally thousands of great developers.
WordPress SEO: This plugin is superb in helping me do some much-needed SEO analysis. Free, and superb at what it does.

Social Media

Buffer: This is one of those ideas that is so simple and so elegant, you slap yourself on the forehead and say, “Of course!” You add tweets to your Buffer whenever you want. It then spreads them out during the day according to a schedule you pre-determine, so it doesn’t overwhelm your followers.
Tweetbot: This is my go to Twitter dashboard. It incredibly easy to change between multiple twitter accounts. Works great on my iPhone, really great on the iPad and also has a mac app that I love!3 Again, I have tried most Twitter apps. I always come back to Tweetbot!
Fiver: I have found Fiverr to be my one stop shop for almost all of my paid design work. Form logos, to banners, to copywriting. If you have a creative need, check out Fiverr first.
Mr Reader: I find that some of my best learning doesn’t come from books, but from reading other people’s blogs. My go to RSS reader is Mr. Reader. It is hands down the best reading app that fits my workflow. Its quick, marks articles read just by scrolling past them and allows me to open the article in various different formats. Love this! synced with

Speaking

Word: Yup, plain old Word. I have Scrivener installed on my Macbook, but I always come back to Word when writing an outline, draft and final copy. It’s just what I use. I’m sure there are better options, but until I find one that is very intuitive to use, I’ll stick with Microsoft on this one. (I actually usually use Evernote, which has all my various research articles, audio files, etc to write out my outline. I then transfer it to Word to write the content.)
Logos: I am a big fan of Logos for all my biblical research needs.
Pen, Paper& Practice: Yeah I’m still old school. I actually write out multiple versions of the same talk. Usually they are titled ‘First Draft, Cut Down Draft, Really Cut Down Draft , and then Final Cut Down Draft.” Original, I know. I then have a set schedule that I follow with almost every presentation. (I’ll blog about that soon)
Podcasts: I try to listen to as many great speakers as I can find. I self admit that I am not a great content creator. But I love learning how to communicate effectively. Telling a great story and motivating people towards actions is perhaps my biggest passion!

Productivity

Chrome: Chrom simply rocks. Its quick, has a ton of plugins and just works like i want it to. The only thing I sometimes miss is the firebug plugin for Firefox. (Its a web development plugin/tool. I keep Firefox installed just in case I need to access firebug)
DropBox: Ok, I’ve had an on again, off again relationship with Dropbox. I never liked that it forced me to change my file structures. However, I must admit, it syncs super fast and has a great API that integrates with a ton of applications I use. I currently have the free version.
SugarSync: I have been a SugarSync fan for a long time. I currently am a paid subscriber and use this to auto back up all my important files. I also use this to collaborate with almost everyone…everyone except those DropBox users.
Evernote: This is my digital brain. I store everything here: receipts, web clippings, Kindle notes, meeting notes, you name it. I like it so much, I wrote a series of twelve posts about it on my blog. It is an application I launch at startup and keep open all the time.
Google Calendar:The ability to share a calendar is a must. Friends, family, assistants, etc. Google Calendar works perfectly!
Boomerang: If you use Gmail, and love having a clean inbox, Boomerang is for you. You can “boomerang” messages that you don’t want to deal with right at this moment, but can’t afford to delete either. Boomerang removes them from your inbox and sends them back to you when you choose.
FreshBooks: This is my preferred invoicing and expense tracking system. I use this to track all my business expenses and invoice any clients. Another good choice is Harvest for those looking for a comparison.
Mail: When I’m not in an exchange environment I use Mail. It’s lightweight and efficient. (I use Outlook for email, calendar and tasks when in an exchange environment)
Google Tasks: I have used a lot of different task management tools. If I’m working in an exchange environment, I use the tasks bundled with Outlook. However, I much prefer a non exchange environment. I’m currently using the simple Google Tasks extensions. Its not pretty, but it works! Tasks are huge for me. I want them to sync and work with my existing cloud services. (ie Google or Exchange) If I have to sign up to a new service, I likely won’t.
GoTasks: For iOS I use GoTasks to sync all my tasks effortlessly across all my devices.
Skitch: I use this free program for all my screen capture needs. It is quick, simple and does everything I need it to. There are some more advanced, paid, applications you can find. However, for most of us, Skitch is the perfect answer to your screen capture needs.
Asana: When working with teams I have found Asana to be the simplest and most robust tool available. Others preferBasecamp, I admit it looks prettier, but I prefer Asana.
Doodle: I actually use Doodle as my personal booking page. There are some great paid tools available but I have found that Doodle’s Meet Me Page is a great free alternative to use for people to access your calendar and book a meeting time based on your availability.

Random

Covenant Eyes: This is the accountability software that is installed on all our computers. I’ve researched a lot of accountability tools. Covenant eyes is one of the few I could not find a loop hole through. It’s the software I recommend to everyone who asks for help in regards to online sexual purity.
Sonos: Ok, so not really a productivity app, but having some great speakers, that sync wirelessly with your Macbook or iOS device, is just awesome! Love these.

So, there you have it. My list of regularly used apps. A big thank you to Michael Hyatt for inspiring me to make my own list. Do you use an app I should check out? I’d love to hear what some of your most used productivity tools are. Let me know in the comments below.

LURID

How to Start a Business in 10 (not so easy) Steps

Starting a business sucks. It’s not like it used to be, where you make something and put up a sign or place an ad in the Yellow Pages. The legalities associated with “living the dream” have made it a less-than-enjoyable endeavor. Here is a 10-step process by our friends at ContactMe that walks you through the jungle. Click to enlarge.

How to Start a Business in 10 (not so easy) Steps

LURID

30 Things Every Entrepreneur Should Know How to Do

I started this post thinking I would quickly list ten things every entrepreneur should know how to do. Before I knew it, I had over twenty items. Skip and Megan (our summer intern) added their own ideas to the list to make the final thirty. Read on and add your own ideas to the list!

Communicate well with others - especially when articulating their concept
Work well with others
Delegate to team members
Present well in front of a crowd
Listen to their customers AND their critics
Perform competitive and market research
Write a business plan
Adapt to change - (Also related, staying open and flexible)
Being able to share their idea with others
Set and meet goals
Learn from failures
Take initiative
Bootstrap
Network
To focus and set priorities
To think outside of the box
How to put themselves in their competitors and customers shoes
How to think ahead
Market their product/service
Market testing their product/service
Be persistent (and not give up)
Understand financial statements
Attract and retain great people to their Team and Dream
Inspire through vision (Also related, being a good leader)
To dissect their behavior/motivations/strengths/weaknesses
Wear many hats
Continuously strive for self-improvement
Know their marketplace inside and out
Not sweat the small stuff
Balance life, friends and school or family (or both)

So what do you think? Are there any you disagree with?

By: Yasmine Mustafa

30 things every entrepreneur should know how to do
Building Trust with your Online Users
Top Entrepreneurial Quotes
99 Free Online Classes on Business & Entrepreneurship
15 DIY PR Ideas

LURID

Indonesia is top for entrepreneurs

By Making It on 18 August, 2011

Indonesia is the best place for entrepreneurs to start a business, a BBC survey has suggested. The USA, Canada, India and Australia are seen as among the next best countries at supporting new businesses.

The results come from a survey of more than 24,000 people across 24 countries. They were asked whether innovation was highly valued in their country; whether it was hard for people like them to start a business; whether people who do were highly valued; and whether people with good ideas could usually put them into practice. Taking all the answers together as a single index, Indonesia came out as the most favourable place for entrepreneurs.

The physical location of Indonesia | Photo: Wikicommons

All the developed economies surveyed were above the average score, with the exception of Italy, which was far below. But there were also plenty of developing economies that came out as pro-entrepreneur – India, China, and Nigeria were also perceived by their own people as relatively favourable places for new businesses.

In terms of regions, the four countries of East Asia and the Pacific surveyed all received high scores. All the three countries in sub-Saharan Africa also scored above average. In Latin America, Mexico and Peru scored relatively highly, but Brazil and Colombia were well below average.

The poll does not provide evidence on why people took the views they did, and in some respects the results are consistent with widely-held perceptions of the country concerned.

For example, the USA has a particularly pro-private sector culture and a smaller state sector than many western European countries. It is seen as a good place for entrepreneurs. Russia, which received a low score in this poll, is seen internationally as a place where the state is too prone to intervene in economic life.

But there are some surprises. Labour laws in France are relatively tough, yet in this poll the country was seen as a good place for a new business. Nigeria’s problem with corruption did not stop it doing better than most countries in this survey.

The poll was undertaken for the BBC World Service by the international survey firm Globescan together with the Programme on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland.

Top 10 ‘most entrepreneur-friendly nations’

Indonesia
USA
Canada
India
Australia
Nigeria
China
Kenya
Mexico
The Philippines

Poll results published by BBC World Service.

LURID

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Nine Young Chinese Entrepreneurs To Watch

By 2015 there will be 500 million people under age 30 in China–roughly the population of the entire European Union. And they aren’t idolizing Lei Feng, a devoted follower of Mao. They are looking to figures such as Bill Gates and Michael Dell, says Ge Dingkun, a professor of entrepreneurship at China Europe International Business School in Shanghai.

Young people, barely a generation removed from Chairman Mao’s strict communism, are embracing entrepreneurship. The incomes of twenty-somethings in China grew 34% in the past three years, the largest growth of any age group, according to a survey by Credit Suisse . While large industries in China–such as banking, steel, telecommunications and electricity generation–are still essentially state-owned, a growing chunk of new wealth being created comes from the hard work and vision of scrappy upstarts.

These wunderkinds are attacking the gamut of industries and opportunities–including bringing Disney movies to the mainland, increasing efficiency in health care delivery and developing the next wave of online games and Web applications.

In Pictures: Nine Young Chinese Entrepreneurs To Watch

In Depth: How The Best Small Businesses Spend Money

Stacy Palestrant, a senior associate at Katzenbach Partners who conducted a study of Chinese MBA students, calls them the bridge generation. “They grew up in communist China and in the 1980s, the country started to change,” she says. “So they have a foot in both worlds.” Here are a few.

Robin Chan, 32, founder of XPD Media

XPD is the leading international social-gaming publisher in China. Chan’s discovery: While dozens of Chinese game developers want access to global social networks, they have few feasible distribution methods. “The culture gap and operational limits are huge barriers for success in this industry,” says Chan. Based in Beijing, XPD helps unlock the multibillion-dollar global social-gaming market. It recently published a game called Medical Mayhem that in less than two months nabbed more than 2 million users and 100,000 Facebook fans.

Zafka Zhang, 30, founder of China Youthology

Zhang’s market-research company helps the likes of General Motors, Nokia , Pepsico, Nestle , Wrigley and McCann Erickson tap into China’s youth culture. Youthology has been profitable since 2008 (five months after the company started) and is now gearing up to launch its own social-networking platform to track opinions and trends of young people throughout China.

Jian Shuo Wang, 33, founder of Kijiji

Wang is a start-up addict. In college, Wang founded Hotales.net, an online marketing site. After six years at Microsoft he struck out on his own. In 2005 he launched Kijiji, eBay’s classified-advertising business in China, now with listings in more than 300 cities. Three years later Wang spun off Baixing.com, an online community with listings for houses, jobs and second-hand goods.

Si Shen, 28, founder of PapayaMobile

PapayaMobile turns mobile phones into social networks. Its software lets users play games, share pictures and send instant messages with those who have the PapayaMobile application. Papaya has 3 million registered users across multiple hardware platforms–iPhone, Android and Java. Shen earned her stripes in the mobile-product-development unit of Google Beijing. She has degrees in computer science and engineering from Stanford.

Hannah Seligson is the author of the new book A Little Bit Married: How to Know When It’s Time to Walk Down the Aisle or Out the Door. Her stories have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes Asia and elsewhere. Learn more at www.hannahseligson.com. E-mail: hannah@hannahseligson.com.

LURID

Monday, July 22, 2013

START-UP TOOL KIT | Howard Greenstein Is the 54-Hour Start-up a Myth?

How does Startup Weekend turn strangers into teams into companies in less than three days? A review of the new book that documents the process. 67 inShare Can anyone really start a company and go from "concept to creation in 54 hours?" Doing so is the precise goal of the event Startup Weekend (which I covered in April 2009). It's also the subject of the book, Startup Weekend: How to Take a Company From Concept to Creation in 54 Hours, which was published last week. Startup Weekend attracts entrepreneurs, programmers, designers, and curious corporate types to an intense Friday-night-through-Sunday round of exercises, pitching, brainstorming, and ultimately the creation of prototype start-up companies presented to investors and founders. Many companies—including hits FoodSpotting and Zaarly—have grown out of the 54-hour weekend process. After explaining the creation of Startup Weekend itself, the book demonstrates the need to build an environment of trust. Makes sense: no one is going to pitch their idea to complete strangers without an expectation of some good feedback and potential value-exchange. Empowering participants to pitch and learn helps build the community that "lives" throughout the weekend. Readers will learn about the team-creation process and the intense hours of creating a "rough draft" of a start-up. Other skills on offer in the book include a brief course on the 60-second pitch, and ways of generating enthusiasm in order to gather talent for a team. The authors use the 54-hour time-compression of Startup Weekend to model the experiential education most people will get in an actual start-up, including understanding minimum viable product offerings and determining which priorities are urgent versus important. While I can recommend it as a good, fast read, the book is much more of a sales tool for the actual events than a textbook of the lessons participating in an actual Startup Weekend would provide. Any potential entrepreneur reading the book will find their fingers moving toward their browser to search for the event nearest them—and I do recommend attending a Startup Weekend program. While the authors do use quotes and examples of companies to tie the skills learned to actual life start-ups, the book doesn't frame the lessons in a unique way that offers great new insights for potential entrepreneurs. I would have liked to see chapter summaries with takeaways for busy entrepreneurs, and more specific ways of tying the skills learned in startup weekend to success in building a working company. It is not clear how many companies actually started from Startup Weekend, and what the success-to-failure ratio is for a company born there. One thing is clear: Reading about how teams come together around an idea in a short time is less dramatic than actually trying it out. In the same way that the book encourages experiential education, the key elements really should be experienced. The book—much like the weekend—gives readers a taste of the potential without actually helping them get a complete picture. No one can expect to have a fully baked company at the end of 54 hours—there's still more work to be done. Howard Greenstein is a social media strategist and evangelist, and president of the Harbrooke Group, which specializes in helping companies communicate with their customers using the latest Web technologies. @HowardGr

LURID

Millionaire Lifestyle With 2% Profit Margins

written by BlogEx on June 24, 2008 in Make Money Online and Motivation with 40 comments

What if you ran a website that made a whopping 2% profit per month? Would you be living a millionaire lifestyle?

Most people would say “no way”. If I didn’t know any better, I’d be right there with you. Basically what a 2% profit margin means is if your site makes $1,000 per month in sale, your expenses to generate that $1,000 is $980, leaving a profit of $20.

Wow, How Exciting Right?

Well, this is exactly what a friend of mine does, but on his 2% profit margin website, he is able to fly around the world in first class and stay at 5 star hotels every single month. He is truly living the millionaire lifestyle.

Here’s How He Does It.

He has a website that sells kids outdoor wooden playground sets. Obviously by selling these huge wooden playgrounds online, after shipping and all the competition in that market, it’s a very low margin e-commerce product.

But, his average order size is $2,600 per sale. His cost for a $2,600 playground is $2,100 and he spends about $450 to generate each sale (advertising, credit card processing fees, etc), so his “profit” per sale is a measly $50 per playground set.

I didn’t even know you could sell playground sets online, but he does and he sells a lot of them! In fact, he sells an average of 6 playgrounds per day, every single day of the week. By running some quick numbers, he is making about $300 per day in profits based on $15,600 per day in sales. His total profit for one year comes out to about $110,000 (about $9k per month).

Not bad, that’s for sure, but that’s not really that much money to be taking trips around the world every month like he does. So what’s his secret?

Credit Card Points!

You see, he has an American Express card that allows him to earn points for travel. For every $7,500 he puts on his AMEX card, he “earns” $100 in free travel. Since all of his playgrounds are dropshipped from the manufacturer, he is able to pay for all his inventory using his American Express card. Also, his advertising is put on his AMEX card and whatever other expenses he has.

His business spends $465,000 per month on his American Express card. That means, his card is earning him $6,200 in FREE TRAVEL every single month. He earns almost as much credit for free travel than he does with his entire business…

It’s a pretty neat concept. His passion is traveling, so rather than spending his own money on flying to Paris for the weekend, his business expenses allow him to do it for free. Imagine what you could do if your business generated $74,000 worth of free travel for you this year. You could take your entire family on multiple vacations, all fly first class and stay at the best possible hotels, all completely free. Now that’s a sweet benefit of starting your own business.

How hard would it be to make $2,000,000 per month in sales if you were spending $1,980,000 to generate those sales? You would be making a whopping 1% profit of $20,000 per month from the website, but you would also be earning $26,400 PER MONTH in free travel if you used your AMEX card.

Crazy.

LURID

Top 10 Traits Of Highly Successful People

We have all read about people who are successful briefly. They win a gold medal, make a fortune, or star in one great movie and then disappear.…These examples do not inspire me!

My focus and fascination is with people who seem to do well in many areas of life, and do it over and over through a lifetime. In entertainment, I think of Paul Newman and Bill Cosby. In business, I think of Ben and Jerry (the ice cream moguls)…As a Naval Officer, husband, businessman, politician and now as a mediator and philanthropist on the world stage, Jimmy Carter has had a remarkable life. We all know examples of people who go from one success to another.

These are the people who inspire me! I’ve studied them, and I’ve noticed they have the following traits in common:

1. Repeatedly successful people respond instantly! When an investment isn’t working out, they sell. When they see an opportunity, they make the call. If an important relationship is cooling down, they take time to renew it. When technology or a new competitor or a change in the economic situation requires an adjustment, they are the first and quickest to respond.

2. They work hard! Yes, they play hard, too! They get up early, they rarely complain, they expect performance from others, but they expect extraordinary performance from themselves. Repeated, high-level success starts with a recognition that hard work pays off.

3. They are incredibly curious and eager to learn. They study, ask questions and read—constantly! An interesting point, however: While most of them did well in school, the difference is that they apply or take advantage of what they learn. Repeated success is not about memorizing facts, it’s about being able to take information and create, build, or apply it in new and important ways. Successful people want to learn everything about everything!

4. They network. They know lots of people, and they know lots of different kinds of people. They listen to friends, neighbors, co- workers and bartenders. They don’t have to be “the life of the party,” in fact many are quiet, even shy, but they value people and they value relationships. Successful people have a Rolodex full of people who value their friendship and return their calls.

5. They work on themselves and never quit! While the “over-night wonders” become arrogant and quickly disappear, really successful people work on their personality, their leadership skills, management skills, and every other detail of life. When a relationship or business deal goes sour, they assume they can learn from it and they expect to do better next time. Successful people don’t tolerate flaws; they fix them!

6. They are extraordinarily creative. They go around asking, “Why not?” They see new combinations, new possibilities, new opportunities and challenges where others see problems or limitations. They wake up in the middle of the night yelling, “I’ve got it!” They ask for advice, try things out, consult experts and amateurs, always looking for a better, faster, cheaper solution. Successful people create stuff!

7. They are self-reliant and take responsibility. Incredibly successful people don’t worry about blame, and they don’t waste time complaining. They make decisions and move on.…Extremely successful people take the initiative and accept the responsibilities of success.

8. They are usually relaxed and keep their perspective. Even in times of stress or turmoil, highly successful people keep their balance, they know the value of timing, humor, and patience. They rarely panic or make decisions on impulse. Unusually successful people breath easily, ask the right questions, and make sound decisions, even in a crisis.

9. Extremely successful people live in the present moment. They know that “Now” is the only time they can control. They have a “gift” for looking people in the eye, listening to what is being said, enjoying a meal or fine wine, music or playing with a child. They never seem rushed, and they get a lot done! They take full advantage of each day. Successful people don’t waste time, they use it!

10. They “look over the horizon” to see the future. They observe trends, notice changes, see shifts, and hear the nuances that others miss. A basketball player wearing Nikes is trivial, the neighbor kid wearing them is interesting, your own teenager demanding them is an investment opportunity! Extremely successful people live in the present, with one eye on the future!

These traits work together in combination, giving repeatedly successful people a huge advantage. Because they are insatiable learners, they can respond wisely to change. Because their personal relationships are strong, they have good advisors, and a reserve of goodwill when things go bad. And finally, none of these traits are genetic! They can be learned! They are free and they are skills you can use. Start now!

This article was originally written by Philip Humbert and can be found here

LURID

The Top 10 Russian internet entrepreneurs you need to know about YAKOV SADCHIKOV

Russia is now the largest internet market in Europe, with more than 55 million online users. Russian internet market leaders, Yandex and London-listed Mail.ru Group, both reported a year-over-year revenue growth of 50% for the first quarter of 2012.

The Russian market is growing at a supersonic rate and provides excellent exit opportunites for investors in Russian online ventures to create a brand-new breed of Russian internet entrepreneur.

So who are the trailblazers in the new web frontier to watch? Yankov Sadchikov, Russian startup blogger at Quintura.com, talks us through the hottest Russian entrepreneurs to watch right now…

Oskar Hartmann, founder and CEO, KupiVIP.ru

After launching online shopping club KupiVIP.ru in fall 2008, the Russian-German Oskar Hartmann added an eCommerce platform for the Russian retailers and launched online fashion store ShopTime.

In Russian online shopping, KupiVIP is growing rapidly – it racked up $200 million revenues last year. In 2010, Hartmann partnered with the French businessman Pascal Clément to set up a Moscow-based internet business incubator, Fast Lane Ventures that has already started eighteen internet businesses to date, of which two were already exited.

Marina Kolesnik, founder and CEO, Oktogo.ru

Following a consulting career at McKinsey and management role at DataArt where she headed complex software development projects, Marina Kolesnik has leveraged her Harvard MBA to launch her own online venture Oktogo.ru two years ago. Since then, Marina raised $15 million in venture capital from European and Russian investors to make Oktogo.ru, Russia’s leading online hotel booking and travel site or “Booking.com of Russia”.

Pavel Cherkashin, co-founder, Krible and Kuznech

Having been Russian manager for Adobe and Siebel as well as Microsoft Russia’s general manager of consumer and online businesses, Pavel Cherkashin made a number of angel investments in online businesses in Russia. He now works for his investee companies: online customer support service Krible and image search Kuznech as well as helps other investees: online video site Tvigle.ru and mobile advertising network AdWired.

Alisa Chumachenko, founder and CEO, Game Insight

In online gaming, marketing is key. The former head of marketing at Astrum Online that was merged into Mail.ru Group in 2008, Chumachenko started her own social game publisher and developer Game Insight in late 2009. In 2011, she moved into mobile gaming to make Game Insight one of the leading gaming companies on Android.

Albert Popkov, founder, Sravni.ru

Popkov capitalised on the social networking boom in Russia. Back in 2006, he launched the social network company Odnoklassniki.ru. He then raised funding from DST and sold to it later. Odnoklassniki, which is part of Mail.ru Group, has some 25 million monthly users. In 2009, Albert launched consumer banking comparison site Sravni.ru, which is now the leader in its category.

Yulia Mitrovich, Entrepreneur in Residence, Svyaznoy Group

A graduate of the University of British Columbia, Mitrovich was a McKinsey consultant before going to Web Media Group in Moscow to head its online video site Zoomby.ru.

In 2012 Mitrovich joined Svyaznoy Group, the leading mobile phone retailer in Russia, as Entrepreneur in Residence. No surprise, Svyaznoy founder Maxim Nogotkov was named Russia’s Entrepreneur of The Year 2010 by Ernst & Young.

Igor Matsanyuk, founder, IMI.VC

If the internet incubators are the new black, then mobile-focused business accelerators are the new, new black. Entrepreneur-turned-VC Matsanyuk has made a fortune by cashing out shares in Mail.ru Group during its IPO in late 2010.

One year before, he merged his online gaming company Astrum Online Entertainment into Mail.ru. Igor currently seeds mobile startups viaFarminers business incubator and own investment company IMI.VC.

Elena Masolova, co-founder and CEO, Pixonic

The Higher School of Economics graduate, Masolova co-founded the AddVenture seed-stage fund in Moscow in 2008 and was a founding member of coupon site Darberry, which became Groupon Russia. She currently heads social gaming company Pixonic, a portfolio company of AddVenture. She also eager to make angel investments in online startups and lead them later.

Anna Znamenskaya, founder, Workingmama

Following a ten-year executive career including CEO of Digital Access (online video portal ivi.ru), Rambler‘s commercial director and B2B Media CEO, Znamenskaya has ventured into entrepreneurship with her own online project for mothers, Workingmama.ru in late 2011. She is also receiving Master in Digital Marketing from Instituto de Empresa in Madrid this year.

Olga Steidl, partner, dots’n ‘spaces

The St Petersburg State University graduate Steidl has headed marketing at mobile software maker SPB Software before it was acquired by Yandex last November. After a short stint withYandex, she has settled in Zurich to help mobile startups via dots’n’spaces and organize mobile industry events. Steidl is also startup CEO herself and mentor at Seedcamp where Yandex recently invested.

FURTHER READINGThe Top 10 Russian Internet Startups

LURID

Search This Blog

Hovertrx

Translate

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

RANK

FRANCHISE

STARTUP COSTS

Blogging

Social Media

Speaking

Productivity

Random

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Monday, July 22, 2013

Wow, How Exciting Right?

Here’s How He Does It.

Credit Card Points!

Oskar Hartmann, founder and CEO, KupiVIP.ru

Marina Kolesnik, founder and CEO, Oktogo.ru

Pavel Cherkashin, co-founder, Krible and Kuznech

Alisa Chumachenko, founder and CEO, Game Insight

Albert Popkov, founder, Sravni.ru

Yulia Mitrovich, Entrepreneur in Residence, Svyaznoy Group

Igor Matsanyuk, founder, IMI.VC

Elena Masolova, co-founder and CEO, Pixonic

Anna Znamenskaya, founder, Workingmama

Olga Steidl, partner, dots’n‘spaces

Followers

title4

rock

Olga Steidl, partner, dots’n ‘spaces