Author: Carlos Gil

If You Suck as an Employee, You Will Probably Suck as an Entrepreneur

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Here are three reasons why the habits you build now will matter later. September 9, 2019 6 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Do you want to make the jump from working for an employer to running your own business? Odds are that if you suck as an employee now, then you won’t make it as an entrepreneur. It sounds harsh, but that’s real talk. As an employee, if you don’t build the skills you need to thrive as an entrepreneur, especially in terms of having a strong work ethic, then it’s incredibly difficult to flip a switch and all of a sudden thrive as an entrepreneur. I know you’re probably thinking that the two situations are unrelated. Maybe you don’t like your boss, or you’re bored with your work assignments or there’s some other factor that you think you can change when you become an entrepreneur. […]

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How Ja Rule Is Reinventing Himself as a Tech Entrepreneur

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Ja Rule’s new platform is essentially a rebranding of the Fyre app, so will he be able to regain the public’s trust? August 5, 2019 3 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. In the 20 years since Ja Rule burst onto the music scene, both he and the world around him have transformed dramatically. Today, Ja Rule is busy reinventing himself as a tech entrepreneur, most notably with his platform Iconn that allows anyone to directly book talent such as musicians to perform at events like Bar Mitzvahs and weddings. This direct connection parallels the change that’s occurred in the broader entertainment and marketing industries, where celebrities and brands provide an abundance of content and access directly to consumers, mainly through social media. Adapting to this new world has been an adjustment, he says, but he recognizes the need to evolve and sees the value for […]

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What It Takes to Be a Modern Entrepreneur

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July 29, 2019 4 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. We live in a golden age for entrepreneurism, with the number of full-time, self-employed professionals potentially catapulting from 15 million in 2018 to 42 million in 2020, according to research from FreshBooks. Being a part of this group can be incredibly rewarding, both emotionally and monetarily, but if you want to make it as a modern entrepreneur, you have to play by the new rules of the game. People buy from people In the past, being an entrepreneur often meant building a brand where the product or service was front and center. Today, however, being a modern entrepreneur means being in a league of your own, where you make yourself the heart of the brand and show how you stand out from others based on your personality. That’s because the corporate world has become so large […]

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5 Quick Business Tips for Recent High School Grads

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These networking tactics can help pay dividends in the future. July 8, 2019 6 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Whether you decide to go to college, join the workforce, start your own business, or take any other path after high school, there are always opportunities to learn in ways that will ultimately help your career. Taking real-world knowledge and implementing it into your life can help you move up the ranks faster and start making money now. To start, think about these five tips: 1. Jump into LinkedIn If you haven’t joined LinkedIn yet, do so immediately. While all your friends might be focused on Instagram or Snapchat, LinkedIn provides you with unbelievable access to the business world. As the largest professional social network, it’s where you should be looking to build yourself up online so that when someone Googles you, they’ll be able to find […]

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3 Tips on How to Build Brand Partnerships

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Here’s how to sell your content without selling out. June 3, 2019 5 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Want to know the secret to getting paid to work with brands? Think in terms of ongoing partnerships and creating real, relatable content rather than one-off advertisements. Social media and digital marketing are changing, as brands need to be more personal and genuine in their messaging rather than being straight up salesy. Yet a lot of the content coming from brands still sounds very corporate, which is why they can benefit from partnering with you — and paying you — to create content. 1. Content matters more than reach Even if you don’t have a large following, you can still get brand deals. Whether you have 1,000 social media followers or 1 million, everyone has some level of influence. The size of a sponsorship may depend on reach, but […]

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How One of Gary Vaynerchuk’s New Projects Is Helping Small and Medium Businesses

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This new digital marketing agency serves small and medium businesses. May 20, 2019 3 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. With over six million followers across social media, Gary Vaynerchuk has feverishly captured the attention and inspired a wide range of entrepreneurs and business leaders. Yet a large part of Vaynerchuk’s business comes through a small segment of the market. His digital marketing agency, VaynerMedia, serves Fortune 500 companies such as PepsiCo and General Electric, but his following extends far beyond the people running these few companies. So to serve a wider market, specifically small and medium businesses (SMBs) with approximately $1 million to $100 million in revenue, Vaynerchuk and his team officially launched Sasha Group at the start of 2019. I recently sat down with James Orsini, the leader behind The Sasha Group, for a candid discussion about starting this agency and how they help […]

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The Story Behind the Launch of Gary Vaynerchuk’s Empathy Wines

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Jon Troutman and Nate Scherotter, co-founders of new direct-to-consumer winery Empathy Wines, share the details on how they started the business with renowned entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk. March 25, 2019 3 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. The worlds of fine wine and digital marketing may seem far apart, but one of the most prominent and successful marketers, Gary Vaynerchuk, got his start by blending the two to create Wine Library TV in 2006. Since then, Vaynerchuk went on to start several other businesses, including VaynerMedia, one of the top digital agencies in the world. As Vaynerchuk’s media empire grew over the past decade, two of his disciples, Jon Troutman and Nate Scherotter, climbed the ranks. Along the way, the three worked together to create other wine-related businesses such as Cork’d, a social network for wine enthusiasts, while also growing VaynerMedia into the powerhouse it is today. […]

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How to Work with Celebrities and Boost Your Social Media Presence

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Joe Laresca, founder of media agency Noise and co-founder of Serhant Media Group, shares his views on connecting with high-profile influencers and provides practical social media advice for real estate agents. March 18, 2019 3 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. As a young entrepreneur looking to help celebrities and influencers expand their reach online, Joe Laresca reached a breakthrough in 2017 by landing a job with Ryan Serhant, one of the most famous and successful realtors in the world. Reaching Serhant, star of the hit Bravo TV show Million Dollar Listing New York, wasn’t easy, but Laresca was relentlessly persistent,emailing Serhant 56 times with pitch decks and ideas for growing his brand. Finally, Serhant invited Laresca to his office for a meeting, and the two almost instantly started working together to build Serhant Media Group, a media and entertainment company that creates content about real […]

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How K-Swiss Rebranded Around the Modern Hustle

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K-Swiss President Barney Waters and Social Media Community Manager Omar Prestwich share how the sneaker company has inspired entrepreneurs. March 11, 2019 2 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. In its more than 50 years as an LA-based brand, K-Swiss has undergone several transformations. From its tennis origins, to its ‘90s cult following, to its effective “I Wear My K-Swiss” campaign in the aughts, the company has embraced rebrands to connect with customers amidst ever-changing pop culture. Around three years ago, under the direction of new president Barney Waters, the company began its latest pivot to become the go-to sneaker company for entrepreneurs. Since then, K-Swiss has shown an impressive ability to tap into the zeitgeist, underscored by creating a shoe line with famed marketing entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk. This collaboration has coincided with revamped marketing efforts focused on providing valuable business insights, such as through a […]

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5 Ways to Optimize Your Trip to SXSW

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Whether it’s your first time or your tenth to the business hub, these tips can help you make the most of your trip. March 8, 2019 6 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. From March 8th through the 17th, the SXSW festival which initially began in 1987 will radically transform downtown Austin, Texas into the epicenter for all thing’s technology, music, and movies. If you’ve never been to SXSW before, it’s like spring break for adults. However, it’s also an opportunity where legitimate business is transacted and access to VIP, invite-only experiences is a valuable commodity. Personally, SXSW 2019 is my fourth time attending the interactive or tech-focused part of the extravaganza. My first time visiting (2016) is where an initial off-chance meeting in a hotel lobby bar led to a fruitful business relationship which allowed me to quit my corporate job years later which is why I […]

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Inside Super Bowl Week With VaynerSports

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The Super Bowl isn’t just about football. February 25, 2019 2 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. On February 3rd, 2019 Atlanta played host the the Super Bowl, which according to some reports, cost the city a whopping $46 million. If you’ve never been to a Super Bowl host city during the week leading up to the game, let me explain what you’re missing. It’s like Mardi Gras meets Burning Man and Spring Break — for both sports fanatics and business executives. In the week leading up to the Super Bowl, the NFL, its fans and sponsors take over the host city. That includes nearby hotels, nightclubs, and restaurants. It’s big business both on and off the field. I spent 48 hours during Super Bowl weekend with Justin Giangrande, the Executive Vice President of VaynerSports (a full-service agency co-founded by serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk and his brother AJ). During […]

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Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs Share Their Secrets to Success

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Rebecca Minkoff and Rosie Mercado share how they succeed through adversity and inspire women entrepreneurs. February 18, 2019 3 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. If you walk through the women’s section of a high-end department store these days, it’s not uncommon to come across the Rebecca Minkoff brand, which sells everything from handbags to apparel. However, before she and her brother grew their multi-million dollar fashion empire, Rebecca Minkoff was an early adopter to use social media which she credits to aid in the success of her early days when she had to max out her credit card to create her first bags because nobody would give her a business loan. Today, Minkoff not only has built a brand that competes with other fashion giants such as Coach, Kate Spade and Tory Burch, but she’s also actively the face of her brand digitally to the tune […]

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Mega Real Estate Agent Ryan Serhant Breaks Down How to Sell and Earn More

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Here’s how you can sell yourself, your brand and your business. January 21, 2019 3 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. We’ve long heard and read about the rise of social media influencers. The business of influencer marketing itself has become a billion-dollar enterprise thanks to creators who have become internet famous on platforms like Snapchat and Instagram and the corporations who pay to tap into their following.  Now, the latest wave of creators to disrupt an industry aren’t your typical YouTube influencers who vlog about their daily happenings, but instead they’re suited, and licensed professionals historically known as real estate agents. A recent Engel & Völkers study featured by Inman News revealed that 80 percent of Millennials, who also happen to be the largest demographic of first-time homebuyers in the United States, rely on influencers to make buying decisions – including the home they purchase. Call it […]

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How to Grow Your Brand and Monetize as an Influencer

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Being an influencer — and actually making money — isn’t just about taking a pretty photo. October 2, 2018 4 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Take a look at the work of Logan and Jake Paul, Casey Neistat, Jenna Marbles or even Tai Lopez, and it’s easy to see why today’s youth wants to be internet famous, perceived as being rich and be labeled an “influencer.” A search on LinkedIn — the world’s largest professional social network — for “social media influencer” reveals approximately 419,306 user profiles that contain the term in their job title. For brands, however, influencer marketing has become big business to the tune of an estimated $5 billion to $10 billion business within the next five years according to one firm whose study revealed advertisers would spend over $1.6 billion alone on Instagram in 2018. On the latest episode of Real […]

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Learn How to Dress to Impress From This Men’s Style Expert With Over 1 Million YouTube Followers

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How you dress in a professional setting goes a long way in how others perceive you. June 18, 2018 3 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. If you take one look at Antonio Centeno, your first thought is probably, “Wow, here’s a good-looking, well-dressed guy that’s probably a Fortune 500 CEO.” I know that’s what I thought when I first came across him at Social Media Marketing World in San Diego recently. It turns out that Centeno is a former Marine captain turned men’s style and fashion consultant who has written over 1,000 articles and published thousands of videos to close to 2 million subscribers on YouTube while teaching men of all ages, shapes and sizes how to dress their best to impress. According to Centeno, how you dress in a professional setting goes a long way in how others perceive you, which traditionally has been true for […]

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How Important Is It to Be Featured on a ‘Top’ List for Your Industry?

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June 11, 2018 3 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Honest question: What’s the business benefit of seeing your name on a list? It’s one that I’ve long asked colleagues of mine in the marketing industry and never seem to get a direct answer besides “it helps establish credibility.” In my years of working for companies like LinkedIn and Winn-Dixie, in corporate social media roles, not once has a “top list” helped me land a job, if I have to be blunt. Perhaps I’m old school, but I’ve always perceived one’s credibility in business to be based on hands-on experience (where someone has worked) along with results-driven work outcomes (what he has done) and professional references (who can vouch for him). We’ve all seen these lists before, from the “50 Online Marketing Influencers to Watch” here on Entrepreneur.com to others on credible industry sites and people’s blogs, […]

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How Brand Storytelling Is the Missing Link to Building a Loyal Community of Followers

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Don’t confuse storytelling with marketing. June 4, 2018 3 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Prior to becoming a full-time branded content consultant and speaker, Melanie Deziel leveraged her degrees in journalism from the University of Connecticut and Syracuse University to lead the content creation and strategy for The New York Times, HuffPost Partner Studio and Time Inc’s portfolio of 35-plus media properties. At Social Media Marketing World 2018, I had a chance to catch up with Deziel to discuss the differences between marketing and storytelling, which are often mistaken as being one in the same. In the interview above we discuss the following key differences and strategies around both tactics including: Marketing is trying to sell whereas storytelling is trying to connect, entertain or inspire your audience. The reality is that most C-suite executives aren’t consuming Snapchat or Instagram Stories on the regular, which is why a clear distinction […]

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After Facebook and Snapchat, What’s Next for Social Media Marketing?

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Recent changes to the platforms mean marketers need to adjust their strategies. May 28, 2018 3 min read We’re in an interesting time, to say the least, for social media marketing. Today, for most large brands, small businesses and creators, it’s hard to stand out from the digital noise on social media without investing large sums of money into advertising and content that includes investing in resources (people) for graphic design and video production.  In spite of the social media landscape continuously evolving through algorithm changes and Snapchat’s recent redesign, which has made it harder for users to get views on their content in both cases, there’s still value to be had from a sales and marketing standpoint if businesses go back to the basics of 1-to-1 marketing and accept the reality that organic reach is depressed without ad spend. I was recently at Social Media Marketing World 2018 where I […]

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The Best Advice This YouTube Expert Gives Creators to Get to 1 Million Views

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While great content plays a role, there are other factors to keep in mind. May 14, 2018 2 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. If you’ve ever looked for tips on growing your YouTube channel or researched video marketing, it’s likely you’ve come across Derral Eves at some point or time. Based in southern Utah, Eves is one of the world’s top YouTube and online video marketing experts. His top clients have included Red Bull, NBC, ABC, Adobe Software, American Enterprise Institute and many more. Notably, he was an executive producer on several viral video campaigns, including Squatty Potty’s ice cream pooping unicorn ad, which won the “Ad of the Year” award at the 2015 Webbys. Between Eves’s own YouTube channel, which currently has over 491,000 subscribers, and those of his clients, he has gained a combined 32 billion views on YouTube to date. For most entrepreneurs, YouTube can be […]

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Best Practices for Growing Cash Flow With Zero Business Development

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April 30, 2018 2 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. If you’re a startup founder, recently became an entrepreneur or content creator that has yet found a way to monetize your business don’t despair, there are multiple ways to generate cash flow with little or even zero business development. Recently, I caught up with Mark Schaefer, a globally-recognized keynote speaker, educator, business consultant and author of multiple best-selling marketing books including the best-selling book on Twitter in the world (“The Tao of Twitter”). Curious about a blog post titled “How I make money: My 18 sources of online revenue” written by Mark which led to a candid discussion to serve as advice and inspiration to those just getting started. Surprisingly, Mark who has worked with Fortune 500 clients including Microsoft, Cisco, and IBM proclaimed to have been able to grow his business virtually with no business development […]

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