BabeofBusiness.com

Go ahead and take a look around you. Tell me, what do you see? Chances are you’ll find people with their heads down. On the street. In the elevator. At a stoplight. Texting. Updating their Facebook status. Tweeting about what they just had for lunch. Recommending a friend on LinkedIn.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not here to bash social media or modern technology as we know it. In fact, my agency recently launched a comprehensive branding effort for a client that featured a spot running not just on television, but across multiple social media channels as well. And the results were huge.

So yeah, I’m well aware of the game-changing capabilities of social media. I’ve seen how powerfully and immediately it can connect brands and consumers. I was blown away by what Modernista! and BooneOakley did with their sites. That was truly cutting edge and cool stuff, which is something you don’t see every day in our business. Especially, when it comes to agency self-promotion.

Hell, I even met my lovely wife on a social networking site. That right there is enough to make me a lifelong advocate of the medium.

So like I said, I “get it” when it comes to social media and mobile networking. I just don’t think it’s the same as good old-fashioned, face-to-face communication and real-life hands-on interaction. Moreover, I don’t think it ever will be.

There’s just certain things you can never replace. And the value of an intimate, face-to-face sit down is one of those things. The human connection can be replicated over social networks like Facebook or, better yet, video conferencing services like Skype. But a facsimile is never the same as the real thing.

And that’s where this incredible explosion in social media and mobile devices has me worried. While I marvel at the power, speed and creativity inherent in these new technologies, I’m concerned we might all be losing a bit of our ability – and even more troubling, our desire – to connect with one another in person. And that, by extension, us advertisers and marketers will lose a bit of that talent and skill as well.

So here’s an idea. A humble solution, if you will. Let’s put our mobile devices down for a minute. Let’s pull our hands off our keyboards for a moment. And let’s use more than just our thumbs and fingers. Let’s use our entire hand. Preferably the dominant one (though they say experimenting with your “off” hand boosts creativity).

Let’s use it to pick up the phone and schedule a lunch meeting. To shake another hand prior to that meeting. To raise a glass in a toast during that meeting. To hand-write a Thank You card after that meeting.

Before you know it, you might even be using it to sign an agency of record agreement. Or high-five one of your partners.

Sorry, but there’s just no app for that.

Author: Ian Mavorah, President + Creative Director | KAOS Advertising

From Madison Avenue to Michigan Avenue to Brickell Avenue, Ian Mavorah has been around the block. After 15 years crafting campaigns and growing global brands, Ian launched KAOS in 2004, adding the words President and Creative Director to his business card. Headquartered in Miami, KAOS is a branding + advertising boutique that helps companies define their culture and build their brands with a decidedly non-traditional approach.

ian@kaosadvertising.com

Tags: Facebook, how to brand, Ian Mavorah, KAOS Advertising, LinkedIn, Skype, social media, Twitter

As a consultant and executive with my formative background and education in human resources management, I typically have a semi facetious response to executives and business owners who ask me what differentiates great companies from “good companies”. My response is “It is the people, stupid!” The organizations with the best people aligned in the best way always win. This is especially important to those you running small businesses, where every hire is a critical hire!

So how do we define the best people? I have a couple of recommendations for my clients.

• Identify Key Attribute for Success and Hire “Right”
• Incorporate Responsibilities Into All Job Descriptions
• Provide Appropriate Training
• “Retrofit” Skills and Attributes of Existing Staff
• Coach and Mentor

So what do I mean by all that “HR stuff”? Very simple, I want everybody on my team to share some common attributes:

• Commitment To The Team
• Ability To See The Big Picture
• Ability To Learn And Share New Skills
• Listening For Key Information

If they can’t or won’t do these things or lack these attributes, I don’t want them on my team – period.

There are reasons why I have focused on attributes rather than skills. You have probably heard some of these before but they bear repetition.

• You can teach smart people to do almost anything!
• It is hard to teach people to be smart!
• People who are committed to your mission will reflect it!
• Changing people’s core values is very hard!

Again, in my sarcastic way, I have compared trying to violate these “truths” to trying to teach your dog to sing. It just exhausts you and it pisses the dog off.

People who know me would tell you that patience is not always one of my most noticeable virtues. However, when I have been called in to “retrofit” a number of cultures, I believe there is a very respectful way to go about doing that – a way that requires patience to bring about the desired changes. I believe that companies have the right to define their cultures as long as they do so within the context of the law and are respectful to all employees.

While businesses and most organizations are not democracies, I do suggest to all business owners and leaders that, beyond the attributes that I mention above, they need to ensure that everyone in a leadership role either possesses or is trained in some key skill sets:

• Establishing Clear Performance Expectations
• Giving Periodic, Constructive, and Clear Feedback
• Taking Appropriate Corrective Action

I can honestly tell you that, if 90% of management had mastered and demonstrated these skills on a consistent basis, at least half of the management consultants in the world would be unemployed. You will notice that none of these skill sets address technical skills like financial analysis, marketing, etc. That is not an oversight. Technical skills are task competencies and can be taught. You can have excellent technical skills and be an awful manager. If you don’t believe me, ask staff if they would rather work for a manager who consistently performs my list or a manager who is technically “gifted.”

I believe that employees have an absolute entitlement to four and only four things-

• Respect For Individuals
• Clear Expectations
• Meaningful, Balanced Feedback
• Equitable , Clear Reward System

People have said to me “What about empowerment and development, and mentoring?” I think those things are awesome and contribute to growing organizations and reinforcing commitment, but the first four are absolute entitlements that form the basis for the others.

I also encourage clients to “re-recruit” existing staff using the following model:

• Train Current Staff Must On New Competencies And Expectations
• Compliance Works Short Term But Commitment Is Essential For The Long Term
• Retrain, Re-Assign, or……..
• Remember WIIFM (What’s in it for me!)

In the long term, you simply cannot tolerate performance that won’t or can’t meet your expectations. Asking or forcing people to leave your organization is hard on them, on you and on their colleagues, but leaving them in a role where they are not thriving or happy is worse. That’s why I suggest we hire right up front. If you do you reap the rewards.

In the words of Jack Welch-

“If you pick the right people and give them the opportunity to spread their wings and put compensation as a carrier behind it you almost don’t have to manage them.”

Now you have to admit, that it is a pretty exciting thought!

Education has never been more important than it is at this moment. Your parents always told you to get your education. Every year your teachers prepared and encouraged you to continue down the path to higher levels education.

Repeat: education is more important now than it has ever been. But not for the reasons that have been drilled into your mind.

I was watching television the other afternoon during one of my rare couch-potato moments. My wife pointed out that there was an advertisement for a college or university during every commercial break. Apparently getting a degree is big business these days.

The lessons you learn when you understand what’s really going on here can transform your business.

Let’s get right to the point, shall we? Here are four crucial insights:

1. People value education. But why? Do they want to know more for the sake of knowing more? Of course not! People want to learn so they can get what they want. More. Faster. With greater ease. Why does anyone go to college? If this were Family Feud, the number one answer would be “To get a good job.” Simply put, people seek educations to get what they want in life.
2. Schools are rarely short on students. Good schools have people fighting to get in.
3. Some of the most trusted individuals in any community are its teachers. Professors are acknowledged experts in their fields.
4. Educators shape the way their students understand the world.

Now, I’m not telling you to go back to school. In fact, I believe the way the modern school system is structured is radically flawed. That’s a rant for another time…

Can you see how the four lessons above can apply to your business?

I’ll say it one more time: education is more important than ever. Your potential customers are constantly looking for information. Why? So they can get what they want. More. Faster. With greater ease.

How do you differentiate yourself from the competition? Better yet, how do you rise above the rest of the pack to become, not the best, but the only person your prospects want to deal with?

The most powerful way to accomplish this feat is to become the educator in your niche. Establish the University of You!

By setting yourself or your company up as the source of quality information and/or training, you have gained all the advantages that Harvard or Yale have to offer. You are the expert. Trust is easier to gain, even from skeptics, because of the credibility you’ve built. Your “market share” of people seeking knowledge in your field will increase naturally and dramatically.

And you will have the opportunity to really influence the people you communicate with. Think about it - who has had a greater impact on your life, a teacher/mentor or a salesperson? (Not to diminish the importance of selling!)

There are more benefits to educating your prospects than can be covered here. If you’re ready to start reaping those benefits, consider the “Ivy League” approach to doing business. No degree is required. Just start taking action today. Become the U of You!

Author: Donnie Bryant, an expert in communications and Direct Response Copywriter at Donnie Bryant.

Tags: business degree, education, sales, selling

Small businesses often have a primary goal of driving sales - and why not? They don’t have to worry quite as much about branding, monitoring mentions for national PR purposes, customer service, and all of the other things that come with being a large company. As a digital marketing consultant, I work with small businesses to help them understand how large social media platforms can help them reach that goal.

And with small budget, many small business owners have personally jumped in the social media shark tank. But after a few months swimming around, they find that while the sharks aren’t eating them alive, they aren’t offering up free thrill rides through the ocean (aka robust sales).

When small business owners realize that their time and effort isn’t gaining them any traction, but yet they hear the social media hype loud and clear, they realize they have to do one of two things:

Become a social media authority or hire one.

That’s where I come in. And when I look at the mistakes small businesses who have delved into social media on their are making, I see common themes. Read on to learn what these are, and simple solutions that busy small biz owners can use to avoid the same mistakes.

• Believing “If I Build It, They Will Come”
• Shouting, not Conversing
• Expecting Immediate Returns

Believing “If I Build It, They Will Come”

For many reasons, mainly limited time to spend on building a solid social media presence and lack of understanding of these new technologies, many small business owners create Facebook pages and Twitter accounts and leave them nearly dormant. They buy into the intense hype surrounding social media’s potential for explosive business development without realizing what kind of effort it takes to succeed in both gaining followers and reaching sales benchmarks.

Small Biz Solution: Read Chris Brogan’s “Social Media 101″. While it’s a fairly short read, think about the concepts he discusses and the questions he asks in the lens of your business and its customers and goals. His easy-to-read, easy-to-apply format and concepts will give you a great fundamental understanding of social media in about a week’s time of reading 30 minutes a day.

Shouting, not Conversing

Many small businesses that do utilize their new presences tend to talk at, rather than with their followers. Every Tweet is about the latest product or sale.

When social media is used in this way, it’s no different, and probably even less effective, than traditional advertising and direct marketing. It’s “social” media - so get talking.

Small Biz Solution: Keep your posts (or Tweets, etc) to a ratio of about 4 that add value to or engage your followers to 1 that promotes your product or service. That goes even if you only post once a day. You’ll keep your current followers listening and through your added value, encourage new followers.

Expecting Immediate Returns

Just like a real-world social relationship, social media relationships don’t happen overnight. By frequently engaging your followers and adding value, you begin to build these relationships and subsequently, your brand. That’s what leads to sales.

Small Biz Solution: Integrate your search engine marketing (for example, Google AdWords) and social media efforts to get both immediate returns and long-term results.

Comment on this article with some of the lessons you’ve learned about social media initiatives through personal experience - we’d love to hear about them!

Tags: Small Business, small businesses, social media

Have you ever bought shoes online? Did they arrive two sizes too small or three sizes too big? Well, our Featured Start-Up of the week addresses the cons of shoe shopping from your sofa – not being able to “try” them on and check for a proper fit. Well those days are behind you; with Shoefitr you now have you own virtual fitting room! No more being left in a complete bind, struggling to find a replacement pair last minute; mall to mall – hours of wasted time. Shoefitr has your feet covered. Check out their pitch to This Week in Start-Ups. And then read on:

Please tell us about your start-up ShoeFitr. What makes it unique? And how does it fit into the marketplace?

Shoefitr is software that helps online shoe shoppers find the right fitting shoe the first time they order. Shoe buyers are hesitant to purchase shoes online due to their inability to try them on before they buy. Shoefitr solves this problem using 3D imaging technology to create a database of internal shoe measurements. The Shoefitr software is placed on internet retailer’s Web pages. When a customer finds a shoe he wants to buy, Shoefitr asks the shopper what shoe and size the shopper is currently wearing, compares those measurements to the one they want to buy and recommends the correct size. Shoefitr also has a 2D and 3D visual interface that tells the shopper if the shoe they want to buy will be loose or tight compared to the shoe they are currently wearing. The application instills confidence in online shoe shoppers, which in turn can increase sales and reduce returns for online retailers.

How do you promote a business such as this?

We have a B2B business model so there isn’t a need to attract customers to our website. We will work to create relationships with businesses in order to get our application on their sites. Once up, we will brand Shoefitr so that customers recognize our size recommendations with the 3D shoe next to them.

Did you write a business plan? How did you fund the launch of your business? Are you currently seeking investment?

We have a draft business plan that we are polishing. We originally began working on Shoefitr part-time while holding corporate jobs so expenses weren’t a huge concern. We were then accepted into the AlphaLab winter session that started in January 2010. With this acceptance came a $25k investment that enticed us all to quit our jobs and move to Pittsburgh to work on Shoefitr full-time. We are not currently seeking investment.

Is this your first start-up venture? What other businesses have you been involved with?

All three co-founders have been part of other start-ups. Some that have launched and some that never made it off the ground. None of us have been part of a successful start-up.

What resources have you utilized for start-up assistance and advice (both on and offline)?

We originally read the popular blog posts written by Paul Graham. We also had a number of friends and mentors we worked with before going full-time. Once we moved to Pittsburgh, we met a number of people at Innovation Works and AlphaLab who act as advisors and have been introduced to people through those connections. Some of these advisors will likely turn into board members.

If you had to start all over again, what are some things you would do differently?

I don’t think Shoefitr has been around long enough to have an answer for that.

What customer(s)/demographic(s) do you serve?

We are currently launched on RunningWarehouse.com and have targeted the running shoe market. This was a logical place to start because runners are extremely picky about fit, so if the application works for picky customers, it will surely work for the general public. We will soon be moving into other types of athletic footwear as well as casual shoes.

Tags: AlphaLab, buy shoes, buy shoes online, Innovation Labs, RunningWarehouse, seed funding, Shoefitr

When I started my current business over a decade ago there were very few women in the field.  It wasn’t that women didn’t have an eye for graphic design or the ability to learn how to program a web page, it’s just that men seemed to be dominating the field.

But there was something that I, as a woman, seemed to have that men in the field seemed to lack.  Don’t get me wrong, this is not going to turn into some sort of tirade where men are the vermin of the earth, it’s just the way men and women are built.

Men are, by nature, very logical and analytical creatures.  In fact, I use this “reality” in my favor whenever I have to approach a male business owner or decision maker.  If you give them the facts, they find it easier to reach a decision.  Women, on the other hand, have intuition.  It’s not that we don’t think analytically or logically; we do! In fact we examine every angle almost to death before taking a step. It’s that we seem to have a third eye that gives us some insight that surpasses the bare facts.

Well maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but you get my point.

The fact is women-owned companies grow twice as fast as all other companies and generate more than $3 trillion in revenue annually.  An odd fact when you consider that women still get paid less than men in corporate settings. It’s only when women become CEOs that they outpace men by 49 percent in earnings.

Maybe that’s why more and more women opt to strike out on their own, and become incredibly successful in the process!

What’s really uncanny is that women generally have less access to cash and credit. They find it more difficult to get the resources they need for a start-up.  I actually started this business on nothing but a wing and a prayer. It wasn’t until I got an angel investor (quite by accident) that I was able to work full-time at my business.

So what is it that makes women so good at business?  We’re just different!  I mean men are so ultra competitive! We women, on the other hand, get right into the dirt together and find ways to help each other out and collaborate.

Since we’re not as cutthroat competitive, we focus on what really matters like family and taking care of ourselves.  I think that leads to very balanced, happy business owners who are able to think more clearly about outcomes and how to overcome obstacles. And we can balance multiple tasks and thoughts so we can handle wearing many hats in those first crucial years as business start-ups.

Most women also love to socialize! When it comes to networking and connecting we not only do so for the good of our own businesses, we also help connect our colleagues, friends and anyone else in need! It makes us really good at the new social media craze. We also don’t mind sharing our really good ideas with others; we’re not afraid that someone will take off and do better.

Women have the ability to empathize which often makes us better at customer service. We don’t have to debate issues with our customers, and we’re much more open to negotiations and finding solutions. We know that customer loyalty is the key to any good business, in these days especially.

And, if all else fails, women are not afraid to ask for help!

When it comes to why women are so successful I think of my mother, the single parent, who often had to figure out ways to get by on less. She found alternate ways to accomplish her goals.  And like so many women, obstacles only served to make her more creative and stronger.  I see this in women I follow on Facebook and Twitter everyday.

So when you are sitting there with your head in your hands wondering if you’ve lost your mind trying to start a business or you don’t know about the next step forward, just take a look at your friends and you’ll see amazing women accomplishing things that some would never think possible.

Women entrepreneurs really rock the world!

Tags: entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs, women owned businesses

I recently commissioned a logo to be designed for Techalite Web Consulting my new web consulting business in Perth. I’ve been using an old self-made logo temporarily and it just doesn’t fit the Techalite brand at all. I had a long, hard think about whether or not to crowdsource – get my logo designed by the masses, if you will. For those who are unfamiliar with crowdsourcing (just in case anyone’s been living under a rock lately), it’s the idea of running “contests” to get your projects developed. For example, if I used a website like 99designs for my logo design contest, people would design logos for me based on my brief and then, after reviewing all of the designs, I would pick one winner to give my allocated prize money to.

Crowdsourcing is a very controversial topic. Designers hate it because they feel it essentially forces people to work for free and amounts to “spec work”. Personally, I don’t agree; designers choose to submit their work to these contests, nobody is twisting anybody’s arm here. But are the risks of crowdsourcing worth the benefits?

In the end, I decided against crowdsourcing and opted for a traditional logo designer. Here are what I believe to be the two main reasons why a business owner should consider hiring a traditional designer as opposed to crowdsourcing their design project.

POTENTIAL FOR PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism has been running rampant in the crowdsourcing community. Crowdsourcing designers have been caught out using each others’ work and the work of traditional designers, sometimes after winning a design contest. Imagine having a logo you absolutely love and, later, finding out that it is completely or in part identical to that of an existing business, maybe even a competitor.

Plagiarism is definitely present in traditional design companies as well, but you as a client can do more research on individual companies you are considering hiring than a user on a crowdsourcing website. Not to mention, with crowdsourcing sites like 99designs or CrowdSPRING allowing pretty much anybody to sign up and claim to be a designer, there isn’t exactly much in terms of quality control. These types of sites attract quite a few teenagers and amateur designers hoping to get started in the industry and that’s fine – it just means that there is more room for unprofessional people who may not be above copying other people’s work to weasel their way into your contest. Most of us aren’t design experts – I know I likely wouldn’t know if that totally awesome looking logo someone created for my web consulting business is actually ripping off someone else’s existing work.

TOO MUCH CHOICE CAN BE A BAD THING

Running your own logo design contest can get you dozens and even hundreds of entries. This is what attracted me to crowdsourcing my logo at first – I would have so many designs to choose from. The thing is, being in charge of picking one logo out of lots of gorgeous designs can be a bad thing. I’m no logo expert – I can pick a pretty image, but this does not mean that that pretty image will be a suitable logo to reflect my brand and business. A traditional, reputable designer will know ten times what I ever will about the emotion behind colour, shape, style, font and other elements of a logo. Instead of picking one pretty image from dozens I’d rather have a reputable designer present me with three pieces to pick from – each of which would convey the message I want my logo to reflect.

These were my reasons for choosing to go with a traditional logo design company to create a logo for Techalite Web Consulting. I’m looking forward to seeing the results of the project. I’d still like to try crowdsourcing somewhere down the line, just not when it comes to my main business logo and brand.

—-
Author Bio: Liza Shulyayeva runs Techalite Web Consulting in Perth, Western Australia. She provides custom web solutions to small and startup businesses, specialising in search engine optimisation (SEO), website performance and web design.

Tags: crowdsourcing, logo design, Techalite Web Consulting

A challenging aspect of promoting a brand is selecting the right media for the marketing communication message. Superb advertising messages are wasted if they are not targeted at the correct audience.

There is no universal correct answer to the question of “What are the right media choices for a brand?” The right media choices depend on a few key factors. The first factor is the product. A brand’s product category determines much of the way the brand can advertise. Product category often determines target market. A brand with an arthritis relief product cannot be marketed in all of the same channels as a trendy alcoholic beverage brand. The potential target market for these products is noticeably different, as is the purchase occasion. The next factor is the budget. How much a brand is willing to spend determines which media can be used. Brands that have lower budgets may opt for an exclusively social media/Internet strategy, whereas a brand with a larger budget can combine traditional and social media. Additionally, a brand’s objectives in advertising can determine the media used. Some brands focus on creating brand awareness in their campaigns, whereas others take a stronger approach to induce purchase.

Warner Brothers did an excellent job of selecting the correct media in promoting the 2009 film “The Hangover”. This film is about a bachelor party in Las Vegas gone horribly askew. It was one of the most successful films of 2009. The product was most suited for an audience who can identify with excessive partying and bachelor parties. More specifically, that would mean this is a youth oriented product. Precisely, the product best resonated with males ages 18-34. Given the product and the target market, the film was heavily promoted in the social media space, particularly on Facebook and YouTube. Additionally, since Warner Brothers had a large promotion budget for the film, it was heavily promoted on television channels that could deliver a young, predominantly male audience. ESPN programming was a natural fit for the brand. “The Hangover” was successful in theaters and later on DVD because it was perceived as a quality product by a distinct audience that had been targeted correctly. Had “The Hangover” targeted a 55+ female audience in their advertising, the movie would not have been nearly as successful.

The success of a brand’s advertising campaign is closely aligned with the media they use to promote the product. It is essential to wisely consider the product, the budget, campaign objectives and the target market. Selecting media that the target market consumes is crucial, along with providing a message that will be appealing.

Tags: advertising, media placement, promotion

Since  Crystal was kind enough to make me an honorary “babe” I thought I would talk about what I know best, managing people.

The cycle is so predictable that it is both humorous and sad. As the economy starts to pick up the drums are beginning to beat with the refrain of “OMG, how do I keep my best people!”. I can’t tell you how many blog posts and LinkedIn questions I have seen on this topic in the last few weeks.

The answer is both simple and not. The simple answer is hire the right people and treat them right. I define “right” in five basic levels:

• Respect. Treat all your employees with respect. Don’t think of them or refer to them as “human capital” or assets or some other de-humanizing term. Think of them as your partners.
• Responsibility. Over 200 years years ago when the Founding Fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights there was a concept embedded there we have lost sight of. It was called personal competency, the right and responsibility to pursue your craft or competency and be responsible for your own successes and failures.
• Information. Unless you deliberately goal to hire dumb people your staff are probably all pretty smart. Give them the information they need to do their job well. Information like the big picture and where their job fits in.
• Rewards. Make sure your rewards are equitable and well understood. The biggest issue with most compensation strategies is that they were designed by compensation people. We get all twitterpated about regression analysis, and level rise, and consistency. People don’t give a shit. They focus on things like fairness and understandability.  Am I payed fairly relative to others and my contribution? Do I understand how you make decisions about my pay?
• Loyalty. You get the loyalty you give. Loyalty is not measured in tenure, it is measured in contribution. The college intern who busts their butt for you for the summer is loyal. The long term employee who retired and forgot to leave is not.

I write and think about things like engagement and employee branding. Organizations with high engagement outperform their competitors by a significant degree in every business segment. It isn’t because of technology or systems it is because of people. They “join up” they don’t comply. They advocate for you and your brand and represent you to your customers, your communities, and their friends and family. They work harder, smarter, and better with you, not for you. You don’t have to be a big business to do this, and here is a tip- the team with the best people playing together wins every time!

There is a reason that Starbucks, Google, and Apple are more like a cult than a company and I can tell you it isn’t an accident….. it’s the people…!

Tags: commitment, competency, engagement

How awesome would it be to have the ability to transfer information and data from one device to another – operating system to operating system – without having to muddle with fancy codes, cords or chaos? This week’s Featured Start-Up – CyberSynchs - creates this awesome reality. Founded in 2008, CyberSynchs provides an app that loads onto one device (i.e. smartphone) and backs up all of the data to the company’s secure server so that it can be accessed and downloaded to another device. No more lost data, no more funky transfers and no more headaches. Here’s more from the founder on this ingenious start-up, Amos Winbush:

Please tell us about your start-up CyberSynchs. What makes it unique? And how does it fit into the marketplace?

We launched CyberSynchs in 2008 under the premise that users and companies could seamlessly access and synch transport data (like calendars, contacts, pictures, music—anything that you can store on an electronic device) from one electronic device to others. For instance, if you switch from one phone service provider to another, CyberSynchs mirrors that data so you can transfer it simply. You use your data however you want to.

Besides synching our customers’ data, CyberSynchs adds a GPS tracking function to help locate lost or stolen phones and a remote wipe function that deletes all of your data from a lost or stolen phone.

What sets us apart? We’re the only company that does exactly what we do. In a short amount of time, our amazing team of engineers developed a solution with the ability to support seven unique operating systems—one that might have taken another company hundreds of thousands of dollars and several years to create.

How do you promote a business such as this?

From a B2C standpoint, we have a great public relations and marketing firm that augments our consumer promotional efforts.

On the B2B side of things, we have some great partners that integrate our software directly into their devices. We license our software to major corporations as an added value to already developed solutions. Through a partnership with Sun Microsystems, we distribute to mobile devices, PCs and televisions that support Java FX.

We’re in the process of closing on several partnerships with global cable companies, with the soonest deals expected to close in Brazil and Chile. These deals will feature real-time synchronization between television, PC and mobile devices.

What customer(s)/demographic(s) do you serve?

Everyone from a 14-year-old kid to an 80-year-old grandparent who wants to stay connected with his or her grandkids can use our software.

Did you write a business plan? How did you fund the launch of your business? Are you currently seeking investment?

A business plan wasn’t the most important part of developing CyberSynchs. In my experience with this economy, business plans have to come after you’ve developed a stable, marketable product. I feel like it’s pretty much a document you create just to say that you have one. As for us, we have our “business plan” (though I cringe at using the term) in the form of whiteboarding. Basically, we have an eternally evolving 3-6 month plan.

Very early on, we bootstrapped the foundation of CyberSynchs. For 2008-09, I sunk about a hundred grand of my own money into the company, and everyone onboard was paid in equity. It really gives you a sense of pride and independence when you have to go a year with no salary and eventually develop your business into a profitable one.

We would eventually receive funding in August 2009, and we’re in the middle of discussions with four large VC funds. Our potential VC relationship is more about the network that comes with it than the money, though.

Is this your first start-up venture? What other businesses have you been involved with?

In the sense of what a start-up really is, this is my first. I’ve been in the music business for years as a singer/songwriter and continue that dream to this day, even with the daily time commitment running CyberSynchs requires.

My experience in the music industry was really crucial to helping me understand business and adapt to running a company. I deal with business managers, publicists, attorneys and publishing companies; it was and continues to be an enterprise within itself. Waking up every day and thinking, “If I don’t get up early and get to work, I might not eat tomorrow”—well, that’s a big part of keeping that drive to succeed.

What resources have you utilized for start-up assistance and advice (both on and offline)?

One of the most crucial online media that helped me get up and running was Meetup.com. In the beginning, it kept me from becoming too isolated. Entering Meetup groups and talking to other entrepreneurs and CEOs—even some from major companies—was an experience that helped me push forward through early pain points.

That wasn’t all. We did our homework. Networking is a huge part of business, and I found some really great advisers just from beating the path. Our current CFO is a former business development executive from Intel Capital, and I also work closely with a former VP of Innovation from Deutsche Telekom.

If you had to start all over again, what are some things you would do differently?

Honestly, I have no regrets. We were blessed to have some major partnerships before the product was even launched, which helped us avoid some of the common pitfalls other start-ups run into.

Tags: Amos Winbush, Cybersynchs, data on smartphone, data syncronization, Deutsche Telekom, Intel Capital, synching data