Rohail Rizvi- Entrepreneur in the Making

In the past few weeks I’ve really spread my energy over a multitude of things. Among these include starting www.writeonmyboard.com, the Walamu pre-launch blog, this blog, and the pixel ads. Right now the most important thing is getting Walamu off the ground so that’s what I’m going to be focusing on the most. I’m really excited about the launch and focused on getting out there quickly and executing as well as possible.

As for my stocks, I made a few changes yesterday. I sold two of my stocks at a loss only because I needed the funding for Walamu and I knew I wasn’t going to make much anyway considering my position in both stocks was very small. If I had at least $1,000 invested in each company I probably would have held on. Nonetheless, one of my stocks FMD is nearing $60 as I had predicted in one of my previous posts. I am still holding on to this stock as I believe it has the potential to go a bit higher.

I also just finished reading The 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding, by Al Ries and Laura Ries. The book is a must-read for anyone wanting to start an Internet business. I’ve learned a lot about what to do and what not to do from this and have even been talking to the authors about my own business. That’s it for now, but stay tuned because Walamu is going to be a heck of a ride.

Think there’s a difference between being an entrepreneur and an extreme entrepreneur?

Read The Student Success Manifesto, by Michael Simmons, and you’ll find out there certainly is. Simmons, winner of three entrepreneur of the year awards, let’s us in on his Extreme Entrepreneur mindset. In his book, the ever-enterprising Simmons reveals what the extreme entrepeneur needs to do in order properly leverage their tangible and intangible assets to create a life of passion, purpose, and prosperity.

Having been a keynote speaker on entrepreneurship, Simmons does a fascinating job of bringing to the readers the true value in finding what you are passionate about and doing that for the rest of your life. He goes against the conventional wisdom of the educational system and for all the right reasons. This book is a must read for anyone who finds true value in doing what they are passionate about and not just because it’s the “next step” in life. Even if starting a business is not your area of interest, reading The Student Success Manifesto will most definitely open up your mind and let you see all the possibilities that are out there for you, as well as give you the ability to unlock your potential.

Simmons not only preaches the Extreme Entrepreneur mindset, he lives it. In his effort to find out what he was passionate about and what he wanted to do in life he took a semester off from NYU going against the opinions of people such as his counselor and his mother. He did so with good reason as well considering the numerous awards he has won. Simmons does a fantastic job of bringing his real life experiences and discoveries to his readers. If there was ever a book that would give you a distinct advantage over your classmates, it would most certainly be The Student Success Manifesto. Speaking from experience, I highly recommend purchasing “The Manifesto” for your bookshelf just in case you ever need a little refresher.

The site, not the blogger, of course. Blogtrepreneur.com has undergone some major upgrades in its layout and is looking better than ever. The new site features a clean interface, attractive design, and feedburner as well. The most distinctive change in the website, however, is the fact that the already-popular blog will now likely attract even more readers with it’s switch to www.blogtrepreneur.com from the previous blogspot domain.

The real blogtrepreneur behind the site and it’s content, Adnan from the UK, is excited about the new layout and future prospects for the website.With the help of Matt from M and L Adventures, Blogtrepreneur is surely reaching new heights. Adnan, being a member of the Mind Petals entrepreneur network, continues to enterprise as a young and inspiring entrepreneur who excels in providing quality as well as thoughtful content at Blogtrepreneur.com. One of the most unique things about Adnan and his Blogtrepreneur website is that you really get the “face-value” of his content. Adnan makes the process of being an entrepreneur feel real with all the ups and downs and emotions that come with being one and makes it all the more exciting and educational.

I will surely be following along as Adnan continues to bring us his entrepreneurial journey via Blogtrepreneur as I know he will continue to inspire and educate his readers through his experiences as he already has.

The Walamu pre-launch blog is officially up and running. Walamu is the fastest and cheapest way for students to get what they need. Walamu makes it a breeze for students to get the textbooks they need without spending hundreds at their local book store or worrying about running back-and-forth to the post office. The service takes a common sense approach to an expensive problem and makes it easy for students to find the books they need without the hassle nor the outrageous costs. Stay tuned for more updates and keep track of Walamu, the fastest and cheapest way for students to get what they need, at www.walamu.com.

Just a quick update on things.

In my attempt to raise $500 in 15 days for my next project, although I haven’t garnered anything close to that, I have made a lot of progress in terms of projects initiated and getting the ball rolling on my most anticipated project.

So far, here are the numbers:

• Adsense (Mesosource): $26.77
• Pixel sales: $15
• eBay: $20
• Surprise check from my former boss: $124
• HaloTech: $50

Total: $235.77

I also sold my first red marker message yesterday on www.writeonmyboard.com.

Although I’m still far off from the $500 mark, I’ve learned that setting goals and deadlines can help you get a lot of things done a lot faster. My goals for the next few weeks:

• Read The Student Success Manifesto by Michael Simmons (currently half-way though) and The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki.
• Have at least 1,000 unique visitors to the new pre-launch blog by the middle of July.
• Bring in at least $45 from www.writeonmyboard.com by the middle of July. (Brought in $36)
• Have all the pixel squares on this blog sold by the end of July. (No longer attempting, instead focusing on WoMB)
• Bring in at least $15 a week through Adsense (Mesosource) (Made $40 so far, haven’t been promoting)
• Convince parents that I am not being a bum by not getting a summer job. (The toughest challenge of all, we’ll see when that happens).

Last night, I opened up a fresh dry erase board and began writing out my schedule for the summer.

And then it hit me. With the advent of the Internet, why not have the world’s largest spanning white board??

So then I came up with this:

Writeonmyboard.com- The World’s Largest Spanning Dry Erase Board Ad Space

Voila! Writeonmyboard.com- The World’s Largest Spanning Dry Erase Board. Just a spur of the moment inspiration. Let’s see how it does.

The Principle

I remember reading about the Rhino Principle in Forbes Magazine a few months ago. The basic theme behind it is doing what the rhino does best: Charge! The rhino as an animal has survived for so many years because of its undying single-mindedness and natural aggressiveness towards achieving a single goal. The rhino is not particularly clever, nor is it unsusceptible to the other animals in the Savannah. However, it takes initiative when it sees something it wants and leaves all other thoughts of pessimism or doubt behind. Apply this same mindset in your own lives, whether it is as an entrepreneur or in any other aspect of your life. Take on that project you’ve been procrastinating on for months or ask that girl you’ve been meaning to talk to in your Chemistry class. Focus on a single goal and put all your energy into reaching that goal.

Stay Focused

As entrepreneurs, we sometimes have a tendency to do all things at once. We want to take on every little side project, approach every single potential contact, and at the same time become the next Microsoft or eBay. In reality, however, it makes much more sense to stick to that one project you have huge hopes for and put all your energy into that project. Don’t spread yourself out too thin, no matter how beneficial you may think your side projects may be. Nothing is more important than focusing on your most important project and giving it all you got.

Mini-Goals

You have high hopes for your project and you know where you eventually want to be with it. Whether you dream of one day going public or selling your company for millions of dollars, you probably have an idea of where you want to get with your project. However, it is absolutely essential that you set aside “mini-goals”; smaller goals that will help you get to your main one. While one can’t plan for everything, it is necessary for you tohave a plan , as well as goals detailing where you want to be with your project at what time. Do you want 10% market share in 5-years? Or do you want 30% market share in 5-years? It is crucial that you set up these mini-goals so you know how to gauge your progress. Further, make sure you apply the Rhino Principle to each one of your mini-goals to help you achieve your end goal.

I was able to find the original article published by Forbes Magazine http://www.forbes.com/work/free_forbes/2006/0130/031.html?partner=rss . I highly recommend that your read the entire article.

Every wonder what it would take to own a private jet? eHow.com gets us in the know with this article (http://www.ehow.com/how_110761_buy-personal-jet.htm).

“ Ever since Bill Lear revolutionized the private jet market with the introduction of his Learjet 23 in 1964, corporate chief executives and wealthy travelers have been flying in style on custom jet aircraft. The business jet has become so common that most passengers are middle management types. In fact, it’s now a buyer’s market. “

You also have the option of fractional ownership where you purchase a share in a jet plane and thereby pay monthly fees and operational costs. With as little as four hours notice, you can have a private jet at your service.

You may have noticed the large block of pixels I just added to the sidebar. In an effort to get to my $500 goal in 15 days I realized I’m going to have to need another stream of income (or possibly more). I think this acts in two ways, however. With the many web entrepreneurs I know of that are releasing their sites this summer, I think it would be extremely beneficial for them to steal a spot or two on the pixel square. And at $7 $2 a square, it really is a steal. Considering this blog is reaching brand new all-time highs in terms of hits, you can’t go wrong with promoting your project here. With the recent inclusion of this blog to the Mind Petals network, the hits are going through the roof! There are fewer than normal squares available so hurry and grab yours before they’re all gone!

Although this open to any sort of website, and certainly does not have to be entrepreneurial in nature or business-related, ultimately I will filter out any sites I deem inappropriate.

E-mail me if you have any questions: RohailR [at] yahoo.com

Some stats:

I have a huge amount of expenses I have to cover in the next few weeks. The main one of course being funding my current project. I need to come up with at least $500 to keep that running. In addition to that, I may be making a trip to California for a couple weeks and tickets for that run at about $300-$400. As for now, however, my main focus is to come up with the $500 for this project. So I’m giving myself 15 days to come up with $500 without any type of formal work. Here are the primary ways I’m looking to achieve this funding:

• Fix computers (Halo Tech Squad).
• Adsense (www.mesosource.blogspot.com)
• Possibly sell on my new Shopify site.

So, I have until June 27th to come up with that amount. I know I don’t have a wide range of sources at this point, but I’m confident I’ll be able to come up with it.