The latest big business I’ve created is e-redus.ro, a top daily deal site here in Romania. I’ve sold it to Mircea Popa, a local businessman, worth a few tens of millions.  The entire process is almost over and I’m pretty exhausted by it all, to be honest.

I’m going to write a few thoughts about what happened. If you’re Romanian, you can also read this Wall-Street article about it, and come back here for some backstage info.

Luck played a pretty big role

I met the buyer by chance, when I moved into one of his office buildings. So luck played a big role. But it wasn’t all luck. Read on.

Sharing knowledge paid off

I first met the buyer’s wife, she was the one who signed the contract on the office space we were renting out for the on-going operations of E-Redus. On a casual phone call that we had about 2 weeks after I moved in, I heard her mentioning about wanting to send a newsletter to their audience (they already ran a bunch of sites). She was asking me which newsletter service is better (mailchimp, activecampaign, etc). I went ahead and basically told her everything I knew about newsletters. And that’s a lot. I mentioned some things from this article also. But I gave her even more useful stuff. Stuff about owning your own server, configuring it, whitelisting IPs, the works.

Stuff which took me ages to find out.

Negative attracts negative

If I were to think longer about what I was doing, the devil inside would probably argue against me being so open with all that information. I would have probably been more reserved and shared less knowledge.

I would have acted more negative towards her.

Because I didn’t, she was impressed and invited me to met her husband, the person who was going to end up buying E-Redus. Now, the point I’m trying to convey is simple, and I see it working over and over again:

Being nice and positive to people makes them act nice to you. 

Being negative makes them negative back. It’s pretty simple. Why not apply this in your business? With both employees and partners. Share knowledge. Add value.
Nobody likes to work with or for a grumpy cat.

Sorry, I forgot grumpy cats don’t even work.

Don’t chase instant gratification

When I first met with Mircea Popa (the buyer), I again genuinely tried to help as much as possible. He was asking for opinions about his different sites. He was also looking for further advice on his newsletter campaigns. Again, I could have asked a certain sum for all the consulting work I was doing. The fact that I didn’t eventually lead to me selling my site.

So don’t go after the quick prize. Wait for the grand one.

Selling a business is a process

After actually selling a business, you’ll face a problem. The actual sell is a process which can take a lot of time. The main thing to watch out for is getting caught up in the temporary and often self-imposed micro-management of the new team. Even if you aren’t that moral as to self-impose a management period of the new team, it is often a prerequisite in the contract. Any smart buyer will have it.

Also, a certain degree of consulting for the new owner is common, but don’t overdo it. You’ll lose focus of your other businesses. Even if you don’t have other businesses, there will be an “opportunity cost”, e.g. your time!

And that’s one asset you can’t allow yourself not to be in control of.

Never turn down PR

This is one mistake I used to make often. I’ve sold other businesses in the past. Every time I turned down interviews and any sort of press coverage. I now realize that’s a bad idea. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be transparent with what you’re doing. I guess I was feeling like the things I was doing weren’t as big as I would have liked them to be. As such, I felt bad talking about them. The insecurity grew and lead to me wasting valuable opportunities.

Make sure you don’t make my mistake. Talk to everyone and be open and transparent. It really pays off.

Networking anyone?

Networking is really useful, in terms of PR. The actual article I linked to earlier (the Wall-Street one) was set up by a friend of mine, Matei (thanks again if you’re reading this, and thanks to Alex also!). And a big chunk of all the future articles and interviews I’ll be doing will be for friends or different acquaintances I made through them, who work for publications or TV stations.
So when selling a business, your circle of influence matters.

Make sure you connect with as many like-minded people as possible.

On the 25th we are going to have a pretty big party to celebrate the deal. I’m probably going to be posting photos from it, as well as different links from press coverages, so stay tuned.

Such strong belief, they were wiling to die for it. What remains beyond the realm of possibility, when a person has such a strong belief? Its manifestation through a powerful speech can send human beings to the Moon, liberate nations, inspire graduates and tear down seemingly everlasting walls and separations.

African American Power

Malcom X giving a classic speech in Los Angeles in 1962. He talks about hate, the condition of the black woman and white men oppression. Whether you agree with Malcom or not, the reality is this speech and many others like it made Malcom X (born Malcom Little) into the most influential African American in history.

The Fall of the Berlin Wall

Ronald Regan gives the speech of his politic career and probably one of the most historically important speeches ever. The “Tear This Wall” speech was given at the Bradenburg Gate in 1987.
It helped destroy the line of dog runs and guard towers, concrete and barbed wire known as the Berlin Wall. Checkpoints were no more. Restrictions to travel forever lifted in Berlin, Germany and the entire continent of Europe once the Wall was destroyed 2 years later. This speech was a stepping stone to that achievement.

Going to the Moon

In 1962, humanity’s attempt to go to the Moon began. John F. Kennedy gave a speech which went down in history as the “Moon Speech”. The President’s presentation was simple, easy to understand and had one of the most interesting topics ever. Two key elements for a memorable speech!

Secret Societies

Another historic speech that changed the world is the “Secret Societies” one, gave by Kennedy. Many have said that this exact speech was the reason why the powers that be had to plan the assassination of President Kennedy.

The Vast Wasteland

In 1961, the newly appointed President of the FCC (appointed by Kennedy himself) was Newton Minow. Newton was made famous by the first speech he gave, in which he attacked the state of affairs across television and radio, calling it a “vast wasteland”. He mentions how TV stations show only a procession of game shows, violence, gangsters and cartoons. Primordial instincts inherent in humans, of which broadcasting stations take advantage. I should agree, really!

The Most Successful Drop Out

Bill Gates returns to Harvard University and gives a memorable speech, which will go down in history as the “Successful Drop Out” speech. Bill’s laid back, relaxed attitude makes for a very funny, insightful presentation. He also touches on very important global topics such as world poverty. A must see!

Don’t lose faith

It seems that college drop outs giving speeches at the universities they left too early is a trend nowadays. Here’s another memorable speech gave by Steve Jobs to the students of Reed College, touching upon his life story and giving absolutely unique and specific principles for achievement. It’s all about faith and love.

The Mountaintop

Martin Luther King was the leader of the African-American Civil Rights Movement. You can feel his strength in the speech below. This guy had a belief, the unshakable belief I keep mentioning on this blog. That’s the key! Listen to how committed to his goal Martin was. Emulate that if you want to win!

Against Imperialism

Another revolutionary character of the past era, Che Guevara was a major figure in the Cuban Revolution. Not only that, but he became an icon for civil disobedience and the fight against foreign and domestic threats any emerging sovereign nation faces. This is one of the speeches that made him famous. You can almost see his aura of influence.

Achievement

Nelson Mandela is a world renowned leader who fought for equality and anti-racism in South Africa and abroad. After serving 27 years in prison because of his ideals, he finally became President of South Africa. His election was the first in which Africans could vote and he was also the first African to be elected in office. Here’s the “Election Speech”:

But this article isn’t about boxing, it’s about confidence. This is about self-belief and becoming a champion in any sport, including business. In his interviews, Floyd Mayweather often says that he is “blessed by God”. That sounds like a crazy concept, a crazy thing to say. But the thing is, Floyd really believes it. And it’s the power of that belief that sustains him.

His unshakable self-belief is the #1 reason he is undefeated.

After last night, Mayweather is 44-0. Let me explain something. The entire fight, Robert Guerrero, who is a world class boxer, was simply outmaneuvered and made to look like an amateur. And that’s the difference between first and second place. That’s the difference between an athlete who dominates his sport and all other competitors. They all seem like amateurs when facing the dominating champion.

Robert Guerrero – Second Place Face (AP)

The Hugely Small Difference

Although at first glance, Mayweather is just one step above his competition, that small step makes all the difference in the world. That small difference, in reality, creates a huge gap between the first and second place. In any sport.

Floyd is the best boxer in the world. Roger Federer is the the best tennis player in the world. Lionel Messi is the best soccer player who ever lived. All of these guys dominate their sports by a small (but very important) margin. And when they face their opponents, they make that small difference appear enormous. Let’s see how each of them manages to do this.

Roger Federer’s is always relaxed during the game – Author

Floyd Mayweather’s self-belief is always visible – Author

Lionel Messi puts in more hours than anyone else – Clive Rose/Getty Images

The 3 Rules Champions Apply

1. Relaxed Concentration

If you watch any of Federer’s game, no matter how much tension the other opponent is feeling, Roger is relaxed. His concentration can’t be broken, not even in the toughest of circumstances.

That’s why you’ll see Roger having the lowest amount of unforced errors out of all the tennis players out there. When you’re in a relaxed state of mind, your body responds better, your eye-hand coordination is superb. Roger always looks like he couldn’t care less about the outcome of the match. He is always chilling.

Relaxation comes from detachment.

Here are some other great techniques (some of which I’ve presented on this blog also) for being able to relax yourself, while still maintaining concentration.

2. Delusional Self-Belief

All the great champions have it. Unshaken self-belief. But in this department , we’ll have Floyd Mayweather as the representative for the greatest, most delusional, most useful self-belief ever seen. Any great leader, athlete or business man needs to believe in himself. Otherwise, nobody will start believing in him. For Floyd, his belief has made him the higest paid athlete in the world, according to Forbes!

Strangely enough, when you expect things to happen, they do happen. So Floyd’s nickname, “Money”, now makes more sense than ever. If you want to develop a self-belief similar to the champ’s, using God for constructing it is the easiest way. Just start thinking you’ve been blessed, like Floyd always thinks when reasoning and expecting his success.

3. Mastery by Hours

Why is Messi the greatest? The explanation is simple. You can just jump into the video below, and see for yourself!

Do you think Lionel stops practicing when the cameras are off? Think again. He is one of the hardest working soccer players in the world. He practices more than everybody else. Hours after hours, practice makes for a perfect dribbling or a perfectly executed free kick. So it’s all about the work put in when nobody is looking and the stadium’s empty. But Messi keeps at it no matter what, so when the stadium will finally be full of fans, he’ll outperform any player.
Combine the work with his native talent, and you get a factory steel worker son, suffering from growth hormone deficiency, winning 2 golden boots before his 25th birthday.

Conclusion

All of the champions mentioned here apply all the 3 rules. Otherwise, they couldn’t dominate their sports. I’ve just outlined each rule by making reference to the champion who embodies it best, but don’t be fooled. No one becomes a champion without applying the 3 rules simultaneously.
So you need long hours, relaxed concentration and indestructible self-belief. Easier said then done.
But if you want to dominate your business, you have no excuse for not applying these rules.

Summly has one of the best designs out there – Author

I’ve already written about Summly’s sale on hongkiat.com when the news was really fresh (if you don’t know, I write for different online publications. Here’s my profile on hongkiat). The article was basically saying that Nick managed to sell his app to Yahoo! only because of marketing and great timing.

I remain convinced that this was the case. To me, Summly being sold for $30 million makes as much sense as Captain Slow driving this awesome green car.

Top Gear fans, be on the lookout for this new gen eco car – Author

Why do I say this, you ask? Watch this interview:

Is it just me or is this guy the biggest Yahoo! groupie who ever existed? You might say he has plenty of reason to do so, considering they did pay him a ton of money. But I suspect that the deal was conditioned (and the contract probably has this as a legal clause) by Nick’s support and heavy promotion of Yahoo’s new mobile endeavours.

You know I’m all in favor of young millionaires and mobile development. I write about both these topics, and I’m the most positive guy you could meet. But this is all just marketing and hype.

Business as usual. At least Nick has made away with a small fortune. That’s just smart.

P.S. Off-topic: Since Nick D’aloisio is allowed to do heavy marketing, sell his app thanks to it, and everyone praises him for being a genius, allow me to do some marketing myself.

If you’re from the UK, one of my teams just launched a localized app for competitions, contests, freebies. We’ve got 20 new ones added manually by a real person, each day. So that’s a lot of chances to win different free stuff. If you want to check it out, here’s the link:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.contestrage.com

Author

It might seem that’s a low number. And living conditions worldwide aren’t that better either. Most of the countries in the world resemble my home country of Romania. Here, 7 out of 10 people live in poverty. No running water, no toilets and surely no Internet.

Living like this can decrease your chances of becoming an entrepreneur or ever dream of overcoming your conditions! It all seems…well, pretty grim right?

Well, it’s not!

Evolution is Inevitable

No matter how living conditions are today, the world was much, much worse just a few hundred years ago. There’s more wealth, opportunity and freedom in the world today than it ever was. Take a look at this:

Slave and Pharaoh

It’s true, isn’t it? Let’s rewind back 3000 years ago, in Ancient Egypt. If you were to be born as a slave then, you had absolutely no chance of ever growing and overcoming your conditions.
“Born a slave, die a slave” is what they used to say. And they were right! You were condemned to a life of slavery just because you were born into slave parents who worked for the Pharaoh.

The pharaohs on the other hand, no matter how short their life was (diseases were super easy to catch and there was basically no modern healthcare) lived an opulent, luxurious life, without having to do anything.

Slave and Senator

Pretty much the exact same thing happened with Ancient Greece, Rome, Ancient Babylon, the Aztecs, the Maya and all other Mesoamerican civilizations. In Greece for example, things were just a tiny bit better than in Egypt. Slaves had the right to own property (depending on their masters acceptance or not) but they had no say in political matters.

Senators and political leaders came from the sames families who ruled before, much like the family of Pharaohs which kept on ruling Egypt through its children for thousands of years.

Sudra and Brahmin

It was no different in Ancient India. They had a strict caste system, and members of one caste did not mix with members of another. The sudras were basically slaves to all the superior classes. Again, once born a sudra, you died a sudra.

The Brahmin and the Kshatriya, priests and warriors, were the ruling class. Their offsprings would rule the future world and enslave other human beings.

Peasant and King

And things didn’t get any better in the middle ages. You worked either as a farmer for the king or as a warrior, conquering other lands. Not only were you treated as a slave, but the noble, royal family would have their kids rule over your children, in the future. So, if born a peasant, you had plenty of reason to be mad at the world.

That’s the real world we lived in for thousands and thousands of years.

So, where are we today?

Now, you hear about kids from extreme poverty who grow up and become millionaires. They go on to rule the business world, the political world, and shape the future of humankind.

If you are born in poverty and “slavery” today, you have more chances then ever to become a Pharaoh or a King. The world just clicked in the last century, and things have dramatically changed for the better. It is hard, but now it’s possible.

Science and technology made this happen.

Of course, things aren’t perfect, but we have improved. We’ve evolved. And we are evolving constantly. That’s because evolution is never ending and natural. It will never stop. Things are constantly getting better.

So, where are you today?

Well, no matter where you are. Let me tell you where you should be, mentally. You should be proud and very, very grateful that you were born in the best time to be alive. Never for thousands and thousands of years has the human specie been closer to a unified social class and correct wealth and power distribution for everyone.

There’s more opportunity than ever before. So gratitude for being alive is the first thing.

Gratitude no matter your current circumstances. Realize that you are living much better than your ancestors, regardless of what you think. That’s just a fact.

Then, get on your saddle, and be consistent in your job. Strive for perfection. Strive to be more than your job’s description. If you are wanting to become an entrepreneur (that’s probably why you’re reading this) know that you’ll be one, but you won’t notice when it happens.

You’ll be to busy being an entrepreneur. There won’t be any magical moment in which you become an entrepreneur/king/pharaoh. You probably won’t feel it happening. You’ll be too busy doing the work, being consistent and disciplined with your job. Only after a while, looking back, you’ll realize you’ve accomplished your dream.

So, if nowadays it’s finally possible to become a King/Pharaoh/Brahmin, what’s the key?

Consistency no matter your current circumstances. Keep on doing it, keep on striving, regardless of what you’re getting paid now and regardless of the reward. There’s no instant gratification when it comes to evolution. The change you’re looking for will be drastic, fast, dramatic and you won’t notice it until after it happens. Like I said, you’ll be busy doing the work.

Conclusion

Know that all is well. Know that the world is doing fine. Keep away from the TV and from people who tell you otherwise. They are narrow-minded and don’t see the bigger picture. In the grand scheme of things, humankind is better than it ever was. You, on a personal level, have more avenues to grow than ever before. Even if you have no talent to begin with, just by being consistent at your job (be it a personal business or a normal job), you are bound to grow.
We had the Internet Revolution and now we are experiencing the Mobile Revolution. Get in on the action. Make sure you work as close as you can to the leading edge industries, the leading edge of creation. That’s were evolution hits first.

And evolution can turn any slave into a king!

The Reality Distortion Field

Here’s a Steve Jobs reference for you. The RDF (Reality Distortion Field) is a term invented by Bud Tribble, who worked for Apple back in 1981, for describing Steve Jobs’s ability to convince anyone of anything, no matter how far-fetched the idea initially seemed. RDF stands for strong, sometimes delusional belief which basically rubs off on the people who are listening.
All great leaders manifested this Field, this Aura of Influence, from Alexander the Great, to Steve Jobs, to the Great Master Yoda.

The field, similar to the Force, starts from within

You need sales people who can do some RDF magic. Now, obviously, it’s hard to hire Master Yoda. He is a Jedi Master after all. But you can find a young, up-and-coming Jedi, whose Force (RDF power) is strong and who will become a master through practice. But that’s exactly what you do, you find him!

Jedis are found, not trained

Awesome salesmen are found, they are not trained. You set the interview up, choose some candidates who you think might fit the bill, and then you try and find the Jedi the sea of weaklings and paper-pushers. Yes, you can teach anybody different sales techniques, teach voice and tone shifts, have him or her memorize the pitch. But not anybody will exceed your sale targets and get paid ludacris amounts of money just because you forgot to structure the commission rates for sells in excess of 100,000 dollars.
You just didn’t thought that was possible.
But that’s just what you’ll get if you are lucky enough to come across a Jedi salesperson.

Jedis are just… different

I don’t mean that in a bad way. They’re a bit goofy. What you’re looking for are choleric, outgoing, warrior type personalities. Here’s how to find out if the person sitting on the chair in front of you is from a Jedi lineage.

Typical Salesperson Interview
Boss: “Now that we’ve talked about your past experience, tell me a few things about yourself.”
Bob: “Well, aaah… like what?”
Boss: “Just anything you’d find relevant and descriptive of what type of person you are.”
Bob : ”OH, yeah. I see. Aaah… I’m really a hard worker! Yeah. I’m… I mean, I like to do normal stuff I guess, and I’m really dedicated to learning more about the job. I’m a good people person, I like to interact and meet new people. I think I get along nice with folks and…”
Boss: “Let me ask you this. If you were to be reincarnated in any animal, which animal would you choose?”
Bob: “Aaaahh… [laughs uncontrollably] Why do you ask?? Well… aaahh. I think a dog. Like, he’s man’s best friend and…”
Boss: “Ok, let me stop you right there.”
Bob: “Ok… sure.” [sigh of relief]
Boss: “Hmmm. Ok. Well, you’ve spoken well thus far and I really like your past experience. Thing is, I don’t think you are able to cope with failure, with people rejecting you on the phone. I’m worried about that.”
Bob: “Oh… I see. Well, I think I might be able to… I’m, I’m persistent and I keep trying until I see that there’s no more room, until I feel that I might become annoying…”
Boss: “Get the #$(@ out of my office!”
That’s how 80% of your interviewing process should go. Now, for the case of a Jedi, things are a bit different.

Jedi Salesperson Interview
Boss: “Now that we’ve talked about your past experience, tell me a few things about yourself.”
Jedi: “Ok. I know I’ll add value to your company. That’s not even the discussion here.”
Boss: “Hmm. How do you know that?”
Jedi: “It’s just a fact. It’s not that I’m saying it, but it’s just a pure fact. I’ve done it before. Selling is easy.”
Boss: “Ok then. Let me ask you this. If you were to be reincarnated in any animal, which animal would you choose?”
Jedi: “I like eagles. I’d be an eagle. They just don’t care about nothing. They just do what they have to do right?”
Boss: “Hmmm. Ok. Well, you’ve spoken well thus far and I really like your past experience. Thing is, I don’t think you are able to cope with failure, with people rejecting you on the phone. I’m worried about that.”
Jedi: “That’s just… You don’t know me! How are you able to make these judgements on the fly, you’ve known me for 5 minutes. I know how it feels to be rejected and I just keep on going, focusing on the prize. You should know me! You don’t know me, you don’t know how I work. Not for a second you don’t!”
Boss: “Ok, you’re hired.”

Interview Breakdown

So what’s the difference between Bob and the Jedi?

Question 1: Talk about yourself
When asked to say something about himself Bob talked about being a nice person who likes to do normal stuff. Major turn-off for any entrepreneur looking for an awesome salesperson. A Jedi couldn’t care less about being nice. Our Jedi talked about what he knew: selling. He confidently said he’d do it. Presentation may vary, but if somebody boldly makes such claims, you know you’re heading towards working together. You need someone who speaks their mind clearly, and with a bit of arrogance.

Question 2: Choose an animal reincarnation
When asked what animal he see himself reincarnated in, Bob wanted to be a dog. The Jedi wanted to be an eagle. No need to expand here. Only thing is, it could be an eagle, a puma, a lion or an elephant, not necessarily an eagle. Whatever the case, you want a dominant, independent, powerful animal, maybe a wolf, but never a dog.

Question 3: I think you can’t cope with failure
This is the most important one. With this question, you’re wanting to bother or annoy the interviewee. You’re basically telling him he can’t do it, and thus probably won’t get the job. A Jedi will go on the attack on this one, vigorously stating the contrary. You can’t cut a diamond. You’ll only cut yourself.
On the other hand, you can’t get gold out of a silver mine, so a normal, Force lacking individual will be subdued by your question. That’s what Bob did. He said he “might be able to” insist, but only if he “feels” the other person is not annoyed yet. And he didn’t mention moving on to the next person fast.

Such “people person” behavior has no place in sales. The Jedi was offended by the judgement and that’s exactly what you are looking for. A true Jedi knows he’s good. There is not one great musician, athlete, businessman or spiritual leader who isn’t aware of his or her worth.

Similarly, when you’re a Jedi, you just know.

And when somebody offends you, by belittling your abilities in any way, you can’t help it but fight back.
Pay attention to what people say and more importantly what they don’t say when answering these three questions. Presentation may vary, but overall, you can get the feeling if they are confident or not, have chosen a powerful animal capable of doing some RDF magic (remember?) and if they are offended by you judging them.
These are all major “tells” of an up-and-coming Jedi.

Conclusion

Just one single brilliant salesperson can turn your entire company to a success. What you want is somebody with a charismatic authority, a grain of personality cult, a pinch of narcissism and 100% unwavering loyalty. I know, that last part is a bit tricky. In any case, what you want is a Jedi salesperson.
So if you don’t know, now you know.

So you want to be wealthy? Live large? Be happy and content with the quality of your life? You need to study these quotes from 20 of the most influential businessmen of all time. Don’t be surprised to see Jesus Christ on the list also. He was a business and marketing genius. Don’t be fooled. From Rockefeller to King Tut and Imhotep, these were all entrepreneurs.

The world’s wisdom is easily condensed within these quotes. You need only apply them.

Imhotep – Egyptian Architect: “Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we shall die.”

Henry R. Luce – Publishing Magnate: “Business, more than any other occupation, is a continual dealing with the future; it is a continual calculation, an instinctive exercise in foresight.”

William Lever – Unilever Founder: “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted, and the trouble is I don’t know which half.”

King Tut – Pharaoh of Egypt: “Do what you have to accomplish, never give up.”

Gerard Swope – President of General Electric: “Before you organize you ought to analyze and see what the elements of the business are.”

Sakichi Toyoda – Founder Toyota: “Before you say you can’t do something, try it.”

Edward H. Harriman – Railroad Executive: “Much good work is lost for the lack of a little more.”

Jesus Christ – Spiritual Leader: “So I say to you, Ask and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.”

Henry J. Kaiser – Founder Kaiser Permanente: “Having an aim is the key to achieving your best.”

Ray Kroc – Founder McDonald’s: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common that unsuccessful individuals with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

Alfred Sloan – President General Motors: “If you do it right 51 percent of the time you will end up a hero.”

Meyer Amschel Rothschild – Founder of the Rothschild Banking Dynasty: “Let me issue and control a nation’s money and I care not who writes the laws.”

Walt Disney – Founder Walt Disney: “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”

William Paterson – Founder of the Bank of England: “The bank hath benefit of interest on all moneys which it creates out of nothing.”

Sam Walton – Founder Wal-Mart: “I had to pick myself up and get on with it, do it all over again, only even better this time.”

Andrew Carnegie – Founder Carnegie Steel: “People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents.”

John D. Rockefeller – Founder, Standard Oil: “If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths, rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success.”

J. P. Morgan – Financier: “When you expect things to happen – strangely enough – they do happen.”

Ted Turner – Media Mogul: “My son is now an ‘entrepreneur’. That’s what you’re called when you don’t have a job.”

Thomas Watson Jr. – President IBM: “Whenever an individual or a business decides that success has been attained, progress stops.”

But what’s up lately with all these news apps getting bought by big companies? Let’s dig in.

Why did Linkedin buy it?

And why didn’t they buy some other news app such as Feedly or Flipboard?

Flipboard is another app which we might see sold in the future

Marketshare. I would say that’s the main reason. At least this time we don’t have to hear about some marketing hype regarding an NLP-based summary algorithm created by 15 year old Nick D’Aloisio in his bedroom.

Pulse News Reader has more than 30 million users in about 200 countries. Linkedin is currently just over 200 million users. So they’ve drastically increased their audience over night. And it was cheap too, because they paid 90% of the $90 million dollars in the form of stocks.

Truth be told, there are other apps who also have a big marketshare. Flipboard is pretty close to Pulse in terms of its user base. I assume it was just a matter of price and negotiations. It’s obvious Linkedin was fishing around for a news app for a while, they must have talked to all the major players.

Linkedin is trying to position itself as a more conventional social platform. Less “connections”, more of the normal “following” stuff you see with Facebook and Twitter. Linkedin’s Dan Roth even told TechCrunch that :” eventually we want to allow all people to follow each others.”

Welcome to 2013, Linkedin. Better late than never.

They are wanting to become a “professional publishing platform”, a site on which people not only endorse each other and search for jobs, but read, write and create a full social interaction, with their profession being the common factor.

Having a chunk of the news market will help them achieve that. Only way things could go wrong is if they use Pulse to push their content heavily. People who currently run the app are using it to browse news, not connect on a business social site. They’ve already implemented their “LinkedIn Influencer” feature in the app, which is basically a feed featuring blog posts from well-known contributors such as Obama or Richard Branson.

Linkedin Influencer Feature

Let’s leave it at that Linkedin. No need to go further.

The Fight for Mobile News Readers

So now Linkedin has Pulse as a news publishing platform. And so does Google, with it’s renewed Google Reader named Google Currents.
Yahoo had Livestand which got beaten to a pulp by Flipboard. So they’ve bought Summly, which is currently shut down and will be reborn in some other mobile version of Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Sports or maybe all Yahoo categories.
And there are other major players in the space, such as Feedly or Zite which was acquired by CNN.

Feedly is another popular news reader app

Is it just me or do these guys know something?

Is the mobile news niche-industry the best place to invest? No, not right now it’s not. But it’s bound to grow exponentially in the future, with the explosion of huge markets such as China or India. Such is the revolutionary nature of the times we live in.

So what we’re seeing is the strategic placement of companies in anticipation of what is going to happen. Not only that, but if you are a big company and can afford to buy out a news app with a big user base, you’d be nuts not to.
If this niche won’t grow (and keep in mind all signs point to the contrary), they you’ll still have millions or tens of millions of users and a proprietary technology which can be sold, as is the case with Summly and Pulse. Buying a news app for Linkedin, Yahoo and CNN was a no-brainer move.

Conclusion

So what we are seing is Business 101. Anticipation is key. And Linkedin is also trying to apply this principle by buying Pulse. It’s a good choice for a great number of reasons.
They’ve paid only 10% cash. They’ve gained about 15% more users instantly. They can go mobile faster and it’s in tone with their overall idea of rebirth as less of a business platform and more of a full-social experience.

Well Linkedin, I hope your dreams will come true. I seriously doubt it you’ll ever rule the Mobile News Reader Kingdom, the players you are facing are just to big. Maybe Pulse could have done it , with their full focus on just this single app, but a big company such as Linkedin with a lot of things on its plate won’t.
Hey, at least have some fun “shaking up the app world with a fresh, new way to consume news on mobile.” as your SVP Deep Nishar put it in a blog post.

Devices and Features

Facebook Home will come pre-installed on HTC First, a new HTC smartphone, and will be available for HTC One X, HTC One X+, Samsung Galaxy S III and Samsung Galaxy Note II. Hopefully older Android devices will be supported in the future, although Facebook said nothing about that.
If you currently own a supported device and run the latest Facebook app, come April 12th you’ll see a link asking you to download Facebook Home.

Cover Feed

First major change when opening a smartphone with Facebook Home installed is the “Cover Feed”. It’s basically Facebook’s News Feed integrated on your home screen.

Images courtesy of Facebook

You’ll see photos, news, status updates and everything else your friends are doing. All fullscreen, with the respective photos as wallpapers. For updates containing no photos, you’ll see your friend’s Cover Photo for the backdrop.
You’ll be able to comment through buttons in the lower part of the screen, and double tapping any update will bring up the well-known “Like” button. Swiping the screen to the side will dismiss the currently shown update.
There is a discussion about how people with hundreds of friends won’t be able to keep up with updates through the Cover Feed system. Facebook’s solution is straight-forward. They’ll just select which updates to show you and presumably tailor them in time, according to your swipes (dismisses).

The algorithm used to process which updates get shown is crucial for the success of Facebook’s new invention. If people notice that through Facebook Home, they get less relevant updates than through the normal Facebook app, it’s game over for Zuckeberg’s attempt to capture the mobile world.
I wouldn’t bet on it though. The engineers working on it will probably figure out a way to make it work.

You are the locker

Your Facebook Profile picture will be the lock screen. You can swipe up, left or right to quickly access different apps. Facebook conveniently placed their own messenger to the left and a custom app menu when you swipe up. The custom menu contains Facebook functionalities such as status messaging or checking-in.
That’s just more of the before mentioned Facebook Mobile Death Squad in action.

Your head will be full of Facebook’s functionality

Chat Heads

Who doesn’t love bubble heads?

Messaging through Facebook or just normal SMS will be a totally different experience. The person’s head will show up on your screen in a bubble. That’s just more fun. You’ll be able to move the bubble around or ignore it by moving it to the bottom of the screen.
This feature alone will probably make Facebook Home a massive hit. It appeals to everybody’s inner child. Just imagine yourself seeing a message from your boss, and being able to ignore it by moving his face to the dreaded bottom of the screen. What a pleasure that is.
Chat heads will pop-up on your screen no matter what you’re doing on your phone. That could be a little annoying. Hopefully you’ll have the option of disabling that, at least temporarily, for when you are working on your phone or reading something important.

Why now?

Facebook has struggled with its mobile presence. Just before going public on the stock exchange, they wrote this in an official document:
“We do not currently directly generate any meaningful revenue from the use of Facebook mobile products, and our ability to do so successfully is unproven.”
That sort of statement can cause massive frustration amongst Facebook shareholders, who have seen a slow but constant drop in stock prices after the IPO. Facebook’s inability to properly monetize their app through “Featured” ads in the News Feed caused alienation to both the company and disturbed users. Facebook set up a page on their site last year to try and sincerely explain why they do need revenue from ads.
Up until now, the practice has held and ads are still being shown on users phones, unlike the previous ad campaign started in 2007 and quickly terminated in ’08, for their normal, browser-based site.
The context is great for launching something new in the mobile space. More and more people are using Facebook through their phones. Zuckeberg himself said smartphone users spend 20% of their time on Facebook. No surprise there. Why not finally capitalize on that immense market?

Will it work?

I think so. Addiction to Facebook is huge. Sure, there will be people bothered by friends heads just popping out while they’re playing Angry Birds. That sort of constant connection with your Facebook peers might be too much to handle for some.
But overall, I think it will become the most downloaded Android Launcher, surpassing the current leader pretty fast. From Zuckeberg’s perspective, considering Facebook will have more active daily users and people will spend more time on the social platform, revenue from ads is bound to grow.
Facebook hasn’t yet talked about adding ads, so my guess is they’re first looking to create a solid user base for the Launcher. Stock prices will probably rise as well.
In fact, just the announcement of Facebook Home last Thursday caused a 3% rise in Facebook’s stock price.

Facebook’s recent stock price – Author

Conclusion

Facebook is trying to master the mobile game, and reinvent itself, much like Yahoo is with their most recent take-overs. This might just be the spark needed to reboot Facebook’s stock price and maybe reinvent the way people use their smartphones. Facebook addicts will love it.
That, or maybe people will finally get sick and tired of seeing funny cat pictures or checking out the latest Check-ins their friends have shared.

I’d put my money on the first option though.

But the beginnings weren’t so great for Andrew. He talks about “throwing different ideas against the wall” and none of them really “sticking”. He started a bunch of businesses before Tatto Media, none of them successful.

Principle #1

Keep at it. Andrew kept going, not being discouraged by the fact that his businesses were failing. You can always try something new. You’re bound to get it right eventually, no matter how many failures you get along the way.

Principle #2

Be honest with yourself. Find your strong points and emphasize them, while at the same time joining forces with somebody who can cover for your weak points. Say you’re like Andrew, more of a salesman. Associate with a geeky/tech guy if you’re looking to get into technology.

Realize that you’re not capable of constructing a good businesses in the tech industry on your own, if you aren’t technically skilled. So Andrew talks about associating with this super-geek when he started Tatto Media, and actually “getting him laid for the first time” and doing “everything” he could to get this guy to start a company with him.

Remember, the business world is about personal interactions, usually on a personal level.

Principle #3

Confidence is key. People won’t invest in somebody who is unsure about what he is going to do. Nobody wants to associate with a newbie. We all want to ride alongside winners, and winners are confident. They walk differently. You can see it. Remember Denzel Washington’s walk?

Andrew talks about how winning in business made him much more appealing to all sorts of people wanting to invest with him in various ventures. He attributes that to the “confidence factor” which his track record gave him.