Handshakin' - Handshakin Blog

New thoughts on real estate assets v. online assets

5/15/2018

Basically, here's why it's better you keep investing on online stuff multiple times instead of investing all of your savings on a down payment on a single piece of real estate that hopefully was the right decision.

Here's some context on my argument you should start investing and learning about online assets: I own 2 houses with a total of 7 rooms for rent. Three years ago though, I got sick of too many angry tenants and unprofessional contractors that didn't show up. However, I will admit, the houses can appreciate meaningful amounts if you buy in the right neighborhood, and it's possible to net several hundred or comfortably above $1,000 each month on each house!

I'm about to Board my Flight to Asia

4/5/2018

I'm at SFO with just a few minutes to get this published before flying to Tokyo, Japan with my Startup Denver co-organizer Mike Kilcoyne. We're mostly visiting Tokyo for pleasure and it will be my first experience staying in a hostel for a few nights. We'll see the Cherry Blossoms with a 3rd friend who is in town, and then I'm quickly off to Philippines on April 11.

Should you brand on a New Domain Extension if you can't get the .com?

3/29/2018

It's that you should buy yourname.com! But chances are you already knew that.

-Purchase the name of yourstartup.com
-Add yourname.com to your cart

Even if you use only one now, that's fine, just buy both your brand and your name so no one else can get their hands on either one.

I'd recommend using instantdomainsearch.com to quickly search for available .coms.

BUT of course chances are your top choice may not be available or a domainer is asking way too much money for it. Should you buy a domain on a new extension (like .attorney, .dental, or .pizza)?

How to PRice your Product or Service

3/21/2018

Knowing how much to charge for a product or service is going to be a make or break decision for a successful business. Price too low, and you will probably receive a ton of business but won't make ends meet, but price too high, and it will push customers away.

Handshakin' is Hiring in Philippines Next Month

3/12/2018

That's right. I'm traveling to Asia next month for half personal (seeing Cherry Blossoms in Japan), and half business. I'm incredibly excited to finally meet my team in Philippines, including one who I have worked with for over two years!

I'm planning to hire two key roles while I'm out there, a trial and sales manager, and a SEO specialist. Here's more information on the vision of Handshakin in 2018 and my next blog post will be more details on who we're looking to hire.

Building Your Personal Brand as a Trusted Authority in Your Local Community

1/31/2018

Whatever your industry, from selling power tools to baking event cakes, there is a significant business boost for people who are considered authorities in their field. An authority to who, you might ask. After all, if you are a small, local business it seems unlikely that you'll quickly gain international notoriety and have other hardware vendors knocking at your door asking you for advice, but you don't need international notoriety to build a large customer base in your hometown.

Should you Go all in on christmas Gifts or Cryptocurrencies to close out 2017?

12/20/2017

I always thought i was late to the game with Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies. One of my friends wrote about Bitcoin in 2012, and then bought one at $1000. He watched it fluctuate up and down, and today it's worth $17,000, down from $19,500 just a few days ago. Why would I buy now and of course, what's the least sketchy way to buy?

I never bought cryptocurrencies because i didn't understand how. It wasn't easy, plus I was more focused on investing in real estate and online assets (like domain names).

However, watching the market in the past 2 weeks has changed everything about my strategy...

The CTO of Dell EMC Big Data Consulting: how to value your data

12/1/2017

I recently linked with Bill Schmarzo, the CTO of Dell EMC, on LinkedIn, since I wanted to learn more about how the volume, variety, and velocity of data can be well managed. Of course, in corporations, it starts with what Bill calls the four M's, "Make me more money."

Bill knows that a great data strategy involved knowing what your goals are, not just looking through the data to see what you can find. I asked him these questions to help IT professionals plan for 2018.

I teamed up with a Data Analytics Consultancy!

11/8/2017

I recently met Philip Lima, the Founder of Mashey, at a 12 Mavens Mastermind group for Founders a few weeks ago. He shared with me that his business is a 2 year old data analytics consultancy. That means that they help larger companies get their data organized, pull valuable insights, and build automation around that to improve the team's performance. I got really jazzed about that because..

the modern-day handshake and 10 Ways it Differs around the world

10/16/2017

Alright, for everyone who thinks Handshakin.com is about improving your actual handshake, this piece is for you.

And if that's what you thought, we are actually about helping you meet and connect with more customers online. And yes, many of our customers have improved their in person handshake after working with us ;)

Did you know that the handshake is believed by some to have actually stemmed as a motion of peace by demonstrating that the hand holds no tool?

How a Personal Brand can Build Industry Reputation

10/8/2017

There are many things that a company and a person have in common, and one of those is the ability to make and maintain a complementary brand. For businesses, this often takes the form of a logo that thousands of employees could identify with and work under but for an individual, the central theme of your personal brand should, naturally, be you. When you have a personal brand and associate it with good work, that brand grows. As more people have the opportunity to see either your work or your brand, your reputation will grow. Soon, people will be recognizing you as part of your brand and the quality of work you provide, but you've got to start at the beginning.

How to Ensure Website Video Content Increases Engagement

9/18/2017

(Guest Post)

Odds are you know that using video content on websites has been proven to help increase
engagement. However what if you’re already publishing videos on your website and you
aren’t seeing the sort of tangible increase in engagement levels that you were hoping for?

Make no mistake, videos can’t increase engagement levels magically – and for them to do
so, you need to take the right steps.

Encouraging Employees to Help Build the Brand with a Few Simple Tips

9/13/2017

Many times employees feel disconnected from the main goals or the overall brand of a company. They come to work, clock in, put in their hours, clock out, and go home for the day.

There is no sense of belonging to the company, there is no sense of responsibility for the company brand, and many employees are not even aware of – or care about – the company’s main goals. As an employer, it is your job to fix that.

Assuming you're not the founder of one of those corporate gems, here's some tips on increasing your sales using your employees personal networks.

The Only Way to Negotiate a New Car

9/4/2017

Several months ago one of my YouTube videos really started taking off. Which for me is only 30,000+ views.

Usually I really have trouble getting more than 1,000 views.

No this post is not about personal branding, it's title, you ask? "This is How You Buy a Used Car!"

Due to popular demand here's a blog you can print and take with you for your next new car purchase.

My Crazy Experiment for September (EDIT: & October)

8/28/2017

Recently, I've had too many projects and new ideas at Handshakin'. Additionally, I've been pretty busy outside of work with friends, happy hours, intro meetings, and coffees. And I'll admit it... the occasional Netflix binge.

Sometimes I wonder what's worth it and what's not.

Weekly Vlog: You don't have a personal website?!

8/20/2017

This is the video I shot to go over last week's blog post "Personal Branding DOs and DONTs for Founders," But it took a turn for the worst the first time 'personal website' came out of my mouth.

Want to get more Vlog content? Subscribe on my YouTube channel here.

Personal Branding DOs and Donts for Founders

8/11/2017

As a startup founder, I constantly ask myself, how can I create more valuable content to increase our exposure at Handshakin, without compromising the integrity of the content.

Do you ask yourself the same? Are ghost writers okay? Are you spending too much time reposting your blog to 3rd party websites? Is consistency or quality more important?

Here's my list of the Dos and Don'ts for personal branding for founders.

Assets & Entrepreneurship: Online Assets (Part 3/3)

8/7/2017

Today, I'm most excited to tell you about a couple different ways I'm making money online. In case you missed Assets & Entrepreneurship Part 1 (Automotive) and Part 2 (Real Estate), fear not, as these are by far the most exciting strategies with the most opportunity.

Assets & Entrepreneurship: Real Estate (Part 2/3)

7/30/2017

Last week, you may have seen my blog post detailing the various ways you can make money and build your net worth in the auto industry. You might have also noticed that, although it's the easiest to get into, I don't recommend it because A) they are depreciating assets, and B) they are small assets. You'd have to own a lot of cars to make enough for one persons salary from them.

Let's talk about Real Estate and how to leverage debt (mortgages) in order to make money off appreciation of assets that are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Not including monthly cash flow and rental income. When building assets, let's ditch the auto industry where any asset over $100,000 is going to cost you tens of thousands instead of make you tens of thousands.

Photo & Link to my most recent fix and flip

Assets & Entrepreneurship: Automotive (Part 1/3)

7/24/2017

I recently bought a 2008 BMW 335xi that is inspiring me to write this post.

I plan to use it as my daily driver and rent it out on Turo for a premium (if rented, I'll just drive my work truck).

It was a smoking deal, and has some serious appeal being black on black, all-wheel-drive, and 300 hp. Now if you're not a car person, I'm still writing this for all entrepreneurs out there.

All aspiring entrepreneurs should put a lot of thought into the assets and their net worth when considering launching a business.

Domain Names & Startups: Where to start

7/16/2017

It's been almost 6 months since I attended NamesCon, and I'm still on fire about domain names, small websites, and how to make money online. But it all starts with 'owning the land.'

If you think about the internet as real estate, it really becomes clear where the opportunities lie, and where you're able to make money.

Here's some important insights I've learned after being a domain name investor and online entrepreneur for 3+ years.

Oh, and the photo is of course a handshake with the Founder of NamesCon, Richard Lau. I'm already getting excited for January 2018 just uploading this picture.

Actionable Personal Branding Tips from Billionaire Entrepreneur Kimbal Musk

7/9/2017

I sat down with Kimbal Musk last year to talk about the enthusiasm that drives his personal and entrepreneurial success.

While his brother Elon is focused on space and energy, Kimbal is crusading against industrialized food and its negative impact on health and the environment, and social media has been invaluable for generating support for his efforts.

How to use your blog and Instagram to Meet Influencers

7/3/2017

Last Friday, I was invited to give a talk to Social Media Day Denver. There was almost 250 paid attendees, and they were an amazing group of social media enthusiasts and bloggers. I was surprised by how many people already had their blogs up and how many used Wordpress (I recommend Weebly).

But I definitely got everyone's wheels turning on interviewing influencers to accelerate your career and current goals...

How to Pitch Your Startup in 5 minutes like a boss

6/26/2017

I recently read "Tips on Crafting a Top-Notch Startup Pitch" by Techstars, and had to share some of their insights with you, as well as what I've learned from hosting pitch events for almost 3 years with Startup Denver.

And, this is after my own experience pitching after graduating Founder Institute and making my own pitch from their pitch deck recommendations and templates.

How a Strong Personal Brand can Drive More Business

6/19/2017

For businesses comprised of free agents working on their own initiative, each team member's personal brand could be contributing to the power of the team as a whole. The clients they are popular with, the positive comments and reviews each member has attained, can all be leveraged toward greater outreach and prestige for the entire team and company as a whole.