spiredigital

16 ms·

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by spiredigital 14y ago
Last year, I spent seven months traveling the world and came back with a much greater appreciation for the U.S. Does America have its issues like any other country? Of course. And are there things as an American I would change? Absolute
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by spiredigital 14y ago
OP here. I definitely understand where you're coming from but I've personally experienced something different. One of the eCommerce niches I entered based on research (not passion) was trolling motors. Starting out, I had absolutely zero i
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by spiredigital 14y ago
Hey qeorge! Original author of the Shopify post here, and I do have a lot of experience with drop shipping. The best ways to find suppliers are: 1) Google, but you'll need to dig deep. Most real drop shipping suppliers usually don't rank
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by spiredigital 14y ago
I'll agree with 100% that there are tons of very successful, overworked people that hate their jobs. But I think that what Cuban is saying is that all things equal you'll be much more passionate about something you're good at compared to s
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by spiredigital 14y ago
I'd respectfully disagree. The original context of Cuban's advice is here: http://blogmaverick.com/2012/03/18/dont-follow-your-passion-... ..and an especially relevant excerpt related to your comment: "Why? Because everyone is passionate
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by spiredigital 14y ago
Sure, it's easy to find a niche related to something you like but the point of the article is that - if you want to build a profitable business - your personal interests shouldn't be the barometer by which you make a decision. Instead, you
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by spiredigital 14y ago
Originally written for the eCommerce market, it contains a lot of good advice for startups like measuring market demand, doing competitive research and - probably most importantly - making sure you're adding value by solving a problem faced
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by spiredigital 14y ago
If you eventually want to start your own company, I think the biggest risk is not taking action when it's easiest to – when you're young, with minimal expenses and few responsibilities. I quit my job at 24 and dedicated a year to bootstrap
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by spiredigital 14y ago
Wow. Did anyone else read this and think: 'I wonder why the 27" iMacs are more expensive in Argentina?" Nope? No one? I guess if you can't spot the sucker....
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by spiredigital 14y ago
Interesting post, Joel, but I have to say this isn't a problem I struggle with. For example: '$10 seems like a lot of money. It can feel unimaginable people will hand over $10' Really? If something will save me even a few minutes on an on
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by spiredigital 14y ago
Great thread! I love seeing actual projects people are working on. I wrote a 55-page eBook on starting a profitable drop shipping business which has been downloaded over 500 times in less than a month ( http://www.ecommercefuel.com/profit
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by spiredigital 14y ago
Awesome post. Whether or not you'd like to sell a company for millions isn't the point - the point is that buckets of money won't make you happy, and it's really not what drives most successful entrepreneurs. Good entrepreneurs look at th
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by spiredigital 14y ago
Being intentional about creating frequent - even if brief - sanctuaries from business is crucial. As much as I and many here love their jobs/startups/companies, you have to step back occasionally. It's not healthy to be 100% consumed be s
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by spiredigital 14y ago
This is one of the reasons I love the Kindle - it lets me highlight important parts, and see all your notes on one screen - perfect! The other day I needed to brush up on 'The Post American World' when writing a recommendation on it. So I j
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by spiredigital 14y ago
I spent 7 months traveling last year, and think you could definitely pull something like this off. As far as maintaining your budget, the two biggest things you'd need to consider would be how frequently you travel and where you're travel
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by spiredigital 14y ago
Thanks Joshcrews! That's one thing I try to advise people when they ask me about doing something similar: a research driven approach to picking a business usually works much better than trying to pick something at random, or something you'
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by spiredigital 14y ago
I took an investment banking job right out of college and spent the next few years working like crazy. It was good work experience - and a great chance to save money - but it was exhausting work that I wasn't passionate about. My close fr
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by spiredigital 14y ago
So has Microsoft been giving away their Visual Studio IDE for a while? I haven't used it in years, but back when I did it was a paid product...
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by spiredigital 14y ago
It was / is scary! Luckily, I had a wife familiar with the court system. Plus, she's a rock star to boot. ;-) Were the two lawsuits you faced patent related? Or something else?
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by spiredigital 14y ago
It depends on the action. If we had been immediately sued then, yes, we would have had to respond. But often patent trolls will contact you first threatening to sue in an attempt to get a settlement. This isn't a legal motion filed in th
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by spiredigital 14y ago
Can any lawyers, or those who have incorporated their own business as a C-Corp, provide a rough estimation of upfront and annual costs?
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by spiredigital 14y ago
That's a really great idea. I'd purchase troll insurance! Unfortunately, I think you're right about Congress. It will likely require the issue spinning wildly out of the control - and a subsequent outcry - to get anything done. If we sta
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by spiredigital 14y ago
I agree. I was very lucky the case was so close to a resolution and that my research (and that of my wife, who has experience in the legal field) led us to believe their case was weak. Also, as I stated in the post, I do not broadly advise
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by spiredigital 14y ago
I'm not an expert on laws governing LLCs in different states, and I'm sure that there are loopholes / exceptions for certain circumstances. But being setup as an LLC vs. a sole proprietorship offers you significantly more protection. If y
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by spiredigital 14y ago
I simply emailed my U.S. senators and representative, and let them know I would be considering their stance on patent reform a major issue when deciding whether to vote for them. You can find your legislators' contact information via the f
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by spiredigital 14y ago
It's a sad state of events when any small merchant using popular shopping cart software can be harassed and bullied by trolls. I ended up writing my two Senators and House Representative (yep, single Representative. That's Montana for you
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My Encounter With a Patent Troll(ecommercefuel.com)
45 points by spiredigital 14y ago|24 comments
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by spiredigital 14y ago
Due to the large number of people contacting me I wanted to post a link to my (now available) free eBook on eCommerce and drop shipping: http://www.ecommercefuel.com/profitable-ecommerce-ebook/ Hope you find it useful!
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by spiredigital 14y ago
If the defect is recurring, or on a really expensive item - yes. It will go back to the manufacturer. But many defective items aren't indicative of a mass problem, but rather a one-off slip up. If it costs $10 to ship a product from the c
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by spiredigital 14y ago
You're exactly right - outstanding service is a GREAT way to differentiate yourself. And it's often some of the best marketing you can do, too. I'm constantly amazed at how many companies will make you send something back to get a refund /

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