Tim Bursch

I recently had the priveledge of interviewing Rajesh Setty, author of Upbeat, for his virtual book tour:

1. Why did you decide to do write this book?

Tim, first of all, thank you for this opportunity to discuss the topics surrounding my new book.

The book was originally written a few years ago when I was building a startup during the previous recession. It was not easy but it was a great learning experience. It was like being on a giant roller coaster ride. i wrote this book during that journey.  However, by the time I finished writing the book, that recession was over so I packed the book and tucked it away. A couple of years later, we all witnessed (and are still going through) another recession. I unpacked the book and revised a few things to get that published now.

Just like in many other areas, timing is important - so I had to wait for the right time to ensure that the message is relevant.

2. Who will this book benefit?

This is a book for anyone and everyone who are either affected or have a chance of getting affected negatively by all the negative news that is flooding all sorts of media and personal communication. Media and (most of the) people love to talk about stuff that we have no control of. Sometimes we forget the opportunity cost of engaging in those fruitless conversations. By wasting our time in those conversations, we end up having less time to pursue what we can do and eventually achieving less than what we can achieve - finally making this a self-fulfilling prophecy - meaning be a victim and add to the negativity that’s already abundant.

3. What areas does this book cover?

There are two parts of the book. The first part is a narrative making the case for the need to be Upbeat and the second part is a workbook with some tips and tactics to stay upbeat.

The first part has five sections

1. The Trap: Why and How did we end up in this trap?

2. The Discipline: What discipline is needed to get out of this trap?

3. The Network: How can we become stronger because of our network and how can our network become stronger because of us.

4. The Strategy: How can we put together a plan of action to break free.

5. The Action: What actions can we take Now?

The second part is a workbook that will cover the same five sections but is comprised of practical tips on how to make the most of what you read in the first section.

4. Why is this book relevant now?

The book is relevant mainly because of what’s happening in the world today. We are exposed to more negative news than ever in the recent history - companies closing down, scandals, scams, bankruptcy filings, poor economic indicators - you can actually pick your own poison.

It is easy to get sucked into this mess by spending endless hours thinking about things that you have absolutely no control of and having no time to engage in things that you have control of.

This book provides a few gentle reminders and nudge you to focus your time, energy and conversations on things where you have some control and influence on.

The book, I think, is timely now but what is covered in the book should apply very well even in good times.

5. What is your favorite tip for building connections with people?

If I have to pick only one tip related to networking, it would be to “be an opportunity for those in your network.” It really costs less than what you think to be an opportunity to someone and it is fun!

Case in point Tim - you took the time to participate in this blog tour and for me that’s an opportunity that you have created and I am thankful for that.

For those of you who are reading this - think about the people in your network. How can you be an opportunity to one or more of them this week? How can you be an opportunity for one or more of them today?

Thank you Rajesh for sharing your insights. Check out his new book, Upbeat for concise ideas on how to thrive right now.

You can follow Rajesh on Twitter @UpbeatNow.

Tags: attitude, recession, thrive.

Today I chatted with local college student and entrepreneur, Adam Evers:

[Tim] Adam, tell me about your current ventures.

[Adam] Currently I am working on about four different ventures. Three of them are blogs while one will hopefully become a monthly paid premium service.

Startupstudent.com — This site is designed to help out college and university students who are interested in starting there own business. I am currently enrolled in a University which has an Entrepreneurial program but the program absolutely destroys your entrepreneurial spirit. This venture, just like any other venture, was born out of a need. There isn’t really any GOOD resources/blogs out there on entrepreneurship which will really help you to start your business. That is the goal of this venture. To help students start businesses.

Dreamweavercasts.com — I know … another blog about Dreamweaver … is it needed?  Well yes. This site has HD quality videos and goes through the basics. Our focus is for those people who are completely new to Dreamweaver. They have no idea what they are doing and need help. This is for them.

Besttimetotweet.com — One day I was tweeting away on my startupstudent account and I thought to myself hmmm. What is the best time for me to tweet? What is the best day and time for me to hit my group of followers? I automatically have my blog post a tweet when a new blog gets posted and that gives me a ton of traffic. Now if I could only focus that in when the majority of my followers are on then I have hit the maximum efficiency of my blog and my twitter account.

collegetechblog.com — I love technology. I would call myself a technical activist. I think that technology should make your life easier and can make your life easier. There is a piece of technology or something online which can solve all of today’s problems which college students face. Collegetechblog was born. I share nudges of resources and tools which I find online that I know will be a massive help to college students.

[Tim] What is your idea of a career?

[Adam] HA! A career is something which I am forced into by the man! Ok. Not really … but seriously. When you say the word career all I can think of is a cubical and a receding hair line. Neither of which I desire for my life.

[Tim] Creative income is thinking outside of the normal 9-5 job. What are you doing for creative income?

[Adam] I have four blogs that I am building to hopefully start being able to advertise on or maybe sell … who knows. I am also working on a SAAS model with besttimetotweet.com. I would love to be able to provide people with the best time to tweet via an email summary every week or something and give them more data about twitter and there followers. We would offer a premium service which allows people to get those statics weekly, daily or even monthly. If the premium service does not work out then I would just stick up ads.

[Tim] How are you connecting business and social change?

[Adam] I connect social change with business by incorporating it into my business model. Once advertising money starts to flow the plan is to give a portion of that back into the community. Currently the plan is to invest it into a fund for kiva.org which allows your money to be used exponentially. If you don’t know about kiva.org, check them out. They are legit!

Be Heard. Tell us what you think.

Tags: entrepreneur, student.

Recently I interviewed Zack Steven of buythechange.com - Great insight on integrating social mission and business.

[Tim] Zack, tell me about buythechange.com.

[Zack] buythechange is a new service that makes it easy for people to buy and sell locally with their friends, neighbors and independent businesses. Members can place unlimited ads and events for a year and 1/3 of all membership fees go back to local non-profits, as chosen by each member. buythechange is different because it’s a trusted network of real people, and members receive emails when their friends and neighbors post ads or events which helps build community.

[Tim] Why a social business?

[Zack] When my partners and I (friends since childhood) set out to launch a business together we wanted to create something that not only made money but also made a difference. We wanted to help restore a greater sense of community in our own lives, for our kids and in society at large. We believe that business can be a force for good, and that harnessing the power of capitalism is the greatest opportunity to create social change. We’ve actually coined the term “Fair-Profit” to describe a business model that sustains itself through profits, but not at the undue expense of the resources (human, environmental or otherwise) that are consumed in the process. Profit isn’t bad. It’s a measure of value created and it’s what sustains our economy – government and non-profits are ultimately funded by business profits, in the form of taxes and charitable contributions.

[Tim] How did you get interested in integrating business and social change?

[Zack] The change that we were most interested in was strengthening communities by helping people feel more connected to each other. We think that many aspects of social media and technology have actually resulted in people feeling more isolated from real offline connections, like their neighbors. We’re all better off with a higher level of generalized trust (vs. fear) and buythechange uses social technology to help people connect to the people, places and causes they care about where they live.

Social capital is built when people have informal and spontaneous contact with people they recognize, and buythechange makes that more likely to happen, through commerce. Everyday purchasing decisions have the potential to change the world, if they are informed and conscientious. It’s not just about Green, Organic or Fair Trade, it’s more about local. Buying and selling in a way that builds a relationship or makes a connection. We built buythechange to make it easy for people to buy and sell with friends and neighbors, to attend events where they may see someone they know and to spend their money with local, independent and home-based businesses. Our vision is to power a grassroots movement that harnesses individual social responsibility and capitalism to enrich communities.

[Tim] What is your idea of a career?

[Zack] For me it’s about learning and earning and it’s built on knowledge of self. I’m interested in continually increasing my capacity to create value and putting myself in situations where I can benefit from the value I create. I look for opportunities to grow and contribute and it’s really important to be surrounded by talented people, working on things I’m passionate about. I trust that good things will come from being intentional, working hard and taking risks.

[Tim] Creative income is thinking outside of the normal 9-5 job. What are you doing for creative income?

[Zack] I’m heavily focused on buythechange, but in the past I have done business and financial consulting and earned income from a product I patented. It comes down to identifying a need, and providing a solution people are willing to pay for. My wife is an art teacher who also offers affordable design and color consultation services through www.nudgestudio.com.

[Tim] How can people use buythechange.com in this economy?

[Zack] People can use buythechange to meet their needs, meet their neighbors, and make a difference. It’s a safe and affordable way to sell your goods and services to people you know or have reason to trust, and it’s a great way to find used goods without driving across town. Our site design and automatic delivery of content gives members and their ads high visibility on our network and through organic search results on Google, Yahoo and MSN. People can join free and begin receiving updates on ads and events from their neighborhood, and paid members can feel good about giving back 1/3 of their membership fee to a cause they care about.

[Tim] Lastly, what do you want people to know about you?

[Zack] I’m an inventor and entrepreneur who graduated from Grinnell College with an Art degree. Over the course of my career I’ve come to see business as art. As Andy Warhol said “making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.” I enjoy the challenge of creating offerings that are simultaneously beautiful, useful and profitable.

Follow Zack on Twitter. Be heard. Tell us what you think.

Tags: entrepreneur, social business.