
Mike Fallat at Duquesne University and CCAC
I love giving entrepreneurs a platform to tell their story. Every entrepreneur has a story to share, a lesson to teach, and a goal that is unfinished. Entrepreneurs need a way to build credibility without over spending. This is why we created DreamStarters University. Entrepreneurs who are looking to acquire public speaking experience can speak at our seminars allowing the attendees to see what it is like to take control of one's own destiny. How To Become The American Entrep

Startup Business Tip - Define Yourself
A beautiful saying I've heard throughout my life is "Never trust a man who doesn't have a dark side". I believe in it, but not for the reasons you might think. You see, I grew up watching tons of movies and listening to all genres of music. It seems the songs and movies that connect with people are the ones that are about struggle and hard times. I'm guessing it's because most people can relate to some type of struggle in his/her life. And when you think about, what would an

Startup Business Tip - Inspiration is Everywhere
I might be in the minority here, but I'm a guy that doesn’t want to know the future. To see how it all ends would simply take too much fun and surprise out of the road ahead. Think about the days of riding La Cachot at Kennywood in your childhood. The expectation to be surprised is what drew you to wait in that 40-minute line, right? The way I see it, if the ride was soft and predictable then it simply wouldn’t be worth my time. Starting a business is not much different.

Startup Business Tip - Take Your Time
#Startup #Business #Tip - Take Your Time The older I get, I am able to see the the power and importance of taking my time on the things that I value. It is far too often we want to rush through life and to get to the finish line that we often do not enjoy it. Starting a business is one of the greatest teachers when it comes to this subject. Starting a business takes commitment. We start businesses because we love being in control of our own destiny. And because we lov

Startup Business Tip - Think it. Write it. Speak it.
Startup Business Tip - Think it. Write it. Speak it. One of the benefits of Dream Starters is the ability to bounce ideas and problem solving solutions off another person. Of course, the fact that I have experience and have applied my own advice to my own business is a bonus, but the act of getting your thoughts together and verbalizing it can help you solve the problem all on your own. When I come across a problem that I cannot figure out, I dwell on it for a short period of

Teaching Public School Kids How To Start A Business
On Monday, Tomorrow's Entrepreneurs went back to Pittsburgh Traditional Academy to teach 6th - 8th graders step 2 of our entrepreneurship program. We noticed the kids began thinking on a different level. Not only did their interest in the subject increase, they also started to think of ways to start their own business. One kid wants to change oil in lawnmowers and quads. Another boy wants to start making t-shirt designs. And a girl I spoke to is going to offer her classmates

Startup Business Tip - The Importance of Value
#Startup #Business #Tip - The Importance of Value Most people do not know the difference between value and price. However, understanding value is one of the most important pieces to an entrepreneur's puzzle. If you don't understand it, how can you offer it? The bottom line is VALUE is what everyone seeks. Value answers the questions "What is it worth to me?" and "what is it worth to someone else?" When something is highly coveted, it becomes valuable. We buy and invest in thi

Startup Business Tip - Vision Is Everything
#Startup #Business #Tip - Vision is everything. The great business leaders in the world have unteachable business vision. They can see something that no one else can see, know how to make their vision become a reality, and then create something that many people value. One of the first questions I ask aspiring entrepreneurs is: "What is your vision of the company 5 years from now?" The truth is if you don't know where you are trying to go with it, then you will not know WHERE

Startup Business Tip - KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER
As a startup business, it is safe to say that you probably have few resources and very little time. That is why it is extremely imperative that you know exactly WHO your potential customer is, WHERE they are located, and WHEN they are there. You do not have the money to blanket the entire internet with your product/service. BUT, you do have the resources to figure out what keywords they might type into Google, tailor a Google Ad-words campaign aimed directly at that phrase an

Your destiny chooses you, so listen up.
When my first business idea failed in 2009, people asked me all about the experience. They asked such questions as "How much did you lose?", "What caused it to fail?", and "What are you going to do now?". I found it very interesting how shocked people were that a startup business failed, since starting a business is one of the riskiest careers paths a person can choose. Roughly 80% of startups will not make it to year 5. Most people would have given up after losing $10K o