The New Oprah Book Quote That Will Empower Your Business

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Entrepreneurs are often driven from a young age, and while there may be a psychological makeup of the average one, all of us share a need to make a mark on the world. You, however, are the only one that knows why you want to make a mark on the world. It is essentially that you find out why you are driven.

Oprah's new book The Wisdom of Sundays takes the best of her Super Soul Sunday conversations. One quote, from spiritual guru Gary Zukav, explains why it is important for you to know why you do what you do.

When someone says, 'I want a bigger home,' it could be because I want to impress the neighbors or it could be because we've adopted four children and we want to give them more space.

You don't have to be wishing for success to provide for kids, but you do have to know your intention.

What is intent?

Intention is one of those tricky words that is worth thinking about it. It is why you put in the crazy hours. It is why you are determined to bring your idea to reality. It is, in short, the purpose for your actions.

Coach and fellow Inc. columnist Rhett Power puts it like this:

When we carry out activities thoughtlessly, without aligning them with our conscious intention, these words and actions may no longer match our purpose. As a result, they may undermine what we hope to accomplish.

Think about the world leader who is bombing a country to create peace: The action itself will likely lead to more war and bloodshed. The intention may not really be peace, then, but dominance.

Why you need to know your intention

The most dangerous position to be in is to believe you have one intention, but to really be pursuing another. It falls into the most vulnerable place in the Johari window: What are things others recognize about me that I don't see in myself? If you are too blind to your own passions, then others could easily manipulate you based on them knowing what drives you more than anything else.

Some of the best ways to learn your intention is to create an honest brain trust, embrace personality systems and slow down enough to hear your own calling.

The post The New Oprah Book Quote That Will Empower Your Business appeared first on inc-asean.com.

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How This Sports Start-up Plans to Conquer Video in Southeast Asia

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Unlike in other parts of the world, sports entertainment is still a largely untapped market. One of the companies in the region who has tried to address this niche is SportsFix, which launched in July 2017.

The SportsFix platform caters to overseas foreign workers across Southeast Asia who tend to watch videos on mobile on weeknights after work and on weekends. SportsFix, which can be accessed through an app and on the web, provides this demographic with sports content, such as news and highlights. The platform also offers live streaming as a premium service.

SportsFix has just announced that it has selected Brightcove Live as their platform to deliver live and video on demand (VOD) content across Southeast Asia. According to the company’s website, Brightcove provides cloud solutions for delivering and monetizing video across mobile devices.

Brightcove’s products help reduce the cost and complexity for companies to publish, distribute, measure, and monetize video across mobile devices.

SportsFix CEO Carl Kirchhoff believes their partnership with Brightcove will help them scale across Southeast Asia.

“Our ambition was to deliver the best streaming video experience to our viewers powered by the best video platform technology. Brightcove checked off all the boxes for us. We found that the Brightcove video platform offered us the scalability to launch multiple websites, with the ability to go to market quickly. No other vendor could meet our needs the way Brightcove does,” he says in a statement.

In addition to the partnership with Brightcove, SportsFix has an expansion strategy well suited to Southeast Asia. For example, because most overseas workers tend to use mobile data rather than WiFi to stream content, SportsFix partnered with telcos across the region to deliver their content directly to mobile devices.

SportsFix is also snapping up rights to highly sought-after sporting events in the region. The platform now has rights to stream matches from Chinese Super League, Liga 1 Indonesia, Thai League, PBA (Philippine Basketball Association), and many others.

Ben Morrell, Brightcove general manager for Asia, says the company is impressed with the platform’s progress.

“SportsFix is a great example of how an up-and-coming media company can launch and deliver live and VOD sports content directly to its user base and unlock revenue opportunities from day one. We are immensely proud to work with a regional sports innovator like SportsFix who by partnering with Brightcove is taking advantage of the latest innovations, market vision, and world-class support to deliver an OTT service to market easily and quickly,” he says in a statement.

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Step Up Your Content Marketing Strategy with These 4 Insider Tips

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With data showing that companies deemed content marketing leaders experience 7.8 times more site traffic than non-leaders, it's no big surprise that more brands than ever are getting on board. The question, though, is: How do you become a content marketing leader?

Last week, I went to Chicago to attend Orbit Media's ContentJam conference to look for an answer to that question. Experts in content marketing came from around the world to share their insights--and I've distilled some of the major takeaways I learned at the event below.

1. Don't be afraid to sell within your blog posts.

Joanna Wiebe, copywriter and co-founder of Airstory, pointed out that since the early 1900s, businesses have been making a sales pitch within written content--be it in a long-form sales letter or print ads.

She referenced the iconic sales piece by John Caples: "They laughed when I sat down at the piano, but when I started to play..." to show that modern blogging is not all that different from the marketing tactics of the 1920s.

Her overall message was simple: Don't be afraid to make a sales pitch within blog posts. If you're educating readers and providing a valuable lesson, it's a good idea to include a helpful solution (namely, your product) at the close of your piece--because they're primed and ready for it. It worked decades ago, and it still works today.

2. Viral content is shareable content.

Nadya Khoja, Marketing Manager at Venngage, shared her insight into how the company has regularly achieved virality with content. In her experience, shareability, relevance, and quality are the major components that contribute to whether or not a piece of content goes viral.

She went on to explain that relevancy comes with deeply understanding your audience--so that when you create something like an infographic, for example, the subject matter is both timely and interesting to the people you're targeting. If you don't truly understand the needs and wants of your demographic, content often falls flat.

3. Create content that stands the test of time.

Are you creating "evergreen" content? Aaron Orendorff of IconiContent says you should. Evergreen content is content that stands the test of time and that is still relevant months (years, even) after it's published.

These are typically posts that include elements like how-to lessons, original quotes from experts, original research, and step-by-step processes that hold up to the passage of time.

The reason evergreen content is so important: It gets linked to and referenced by other content creators--and it continues to deliver results on an on-going basis.

4. Don't let confirmation bias lead to false conclusions.

Unbounce is a company that knows about testing--and co-founder Michael Aagaard spent his stage time talking about the dark side of testing when it comes to content marketing: Confirmation bias.

Believing in false positives can lead to poor decision-making and lost sales, so he advocated for long-term tests and ongoing curiosity rather than quick results that ultimately fail over time. The bottom line: If you're split testing your website or marketing tactics, don't be fooled by quick wins.

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Boost Your Conversion Rates Today With These 3 Simple Tactics

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While there are still 2 months left of 2017, now is the time most marketers start planning ways to boost business in the new year. This usually comes with a focus on new initiatives, a review of current content trends worth exploring, and abundant keyword research. In other words, as marketers we often focus on growing business by growing new content, but this can easily distract from making improvements to our current channels.

Conversion rate optimization can sometimes feel unnatural for busy marketers because it requires us to pause and improve what currently exists rather than race towards the always moving finish line of new content development. But if even a few simple tweaks boost your conversion rate by a full percentage point, how much revenue would that drive? And what if there were multiple ways to grow that conversion even further? Here are 3 proven tactics to boost your conversion rates by leaps and bounds:

Ditch Stock Imagery

For years, on-site hero images from quality stock photo providers were the best tool for improving lead funnels. When running A/B testing, companies will often test stock images as the primary variable before tweaking messaging and calls to action. But a study from PWC suggests that this no longer works. In fact, the study showed that custom designed images convert 7 times better than stock imagery!

Over the years, technological advancements have ensured that consumers can be catered to in almost all facets of their lives. This has made us pickier and more accustomed to original, quality products. We want authenticity, and stock imagery deters from this. By giving your audience what they want, you will earn their trust faster and improve your lead flow.

Lead With Video

Today's audiences are quick to admit that they don't have time to read your pitch, but according to a recent study from Animoto, 4 out of 5 people will eagerly watch a video about it. But like stock imagery, the video must be custom. In fact, videos that are cheaply produced or rely on stock assets are known to hurt conversion rates rather than help them. This is because they communicate a lack of commitment to quality or worse: a belief that the audience isn't smart enough to notice.

So rather than choose the cheap solution that could hurt your conversions, consider the return on investment that would come from leading with something custom instead. According to EyeView, a high-quality motion graphic has the power to increase your conversion rates by 80 percent!

Videos that drive the best conversion improvements include custom, animated videos and live-action videos with animation overlays. These videos are often less than 90-seconds in length, include a professional voiceover, and entirely unique illustration. Videos that tend to hinder conversions include talking head live-action clips, whiteboard animations, and animations using stock vector assets.

Drive Your Point Home With Infographics

Infographics don't just entail long-scroll images that act as link bait. They also come in the form of bite-sized content placed throughout your website to drive engagement and increase the understanding of your product or service.

Does your company have great statistics to share? Consider choosing the top 4 and placing them on your homepage as a mini infographic. Or maybe you have a complex process to explain. Rather than using paragraphs of text to drive your point home, a process illustration can visualize your message and improve comprehension.

Today's consumers avoid reading assignments and large walls of text. But eye tracking studies from the Nielson Norman Group show that they will spend the bulk of their time looking at information-carrying images on your site. To reduce bounce rates and drive people through your conversion funnel, time on-site is important. If you can lock a user in for 10-seconds, the likelihood of them staying on your site increases exponentially. By separating your on-site content with mini infographics and visual narratives, viewers will not feel as overwhelmed, increasing their engagement and growing your conversion rate.

Before you invest time building your content calendar for 2018, consider auditing your current conversion funnels to see what opportunities lay before you!

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Thanksgiving Basket Brigade: One Company’s ‘Why’

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Alex Yastrebenetsky is an Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) member in Cincinnati and founder of InfoTrust, a digital analytics consulting and technology company helping marketers use data to make smarter decisions. The company started its own Basket Brigade program to give back to their local community at Thanksgiving, and is expanding internationally this year. We asked Alex to tell us about the program he started. Here's what he shared.

 

How did the Basket Brigade begin?

AY/ Inspiration for our Basket Brigade came from two people: Tony Robbins, who started the Anthony Robbins Foundation, which feeds an estimated two million people annually; and Verne Harnish, who started Entrepreneurs' Organization and said that the best way to scale a business is to find something that you absolutely, 100% believe in and then commit resources to it. That resonates with me: Once you make a promise, you will find a way to make it happen.

We started our Basket Brigade in 2013, providing 33 baskets filled with all the trimmings for a Thanksgiving meal to local families in Cincinnati. By 2016, our program had grown considerably: We delivered a total of 161 baskets to local Cincinnati families, veterans and those in shelters; a women's shelter in Seattle; and an organization in San Diego that helps people transition home after hospital stays. We aim to keep growing the program!

What's in the baskets?

AY/ We provide everything a family needs to make a delicious, traditional Thanksgiving dinner:

• Stuffing


• Gravy


• Green Beans


• Corn


• Mashed Potatoes


• Cranberries


• Cereal


• Macaroni and Cheese


• Granola Bars


• Marshmallows


• Turkey, or a gift card for perishable items

Many baskets are delivered through Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Since privacy rules prohibit us from delivering to those families personally, we can't include perishables, thus the gift cards.

What's the process?

AY/ As autumn approaches, we hang index cards listing items we need on our company bulletin board. For example, "10 boxes of macaroni and cheese" or "20 boxes of gravy." Employees decide if they want to purchase specific items or donate money.

We don't monitor employee contributions, but low-cost options encourage everyone to participate. Our employees' generosity is amazing--some have purchased a full 10 baskets out of their family budget while others have written large checks to contribute.

In mid-November, we take inventory and compile a master list of items we need from Amazon, Costco and Jet.com.

Our packing party is the Friday before Thanksgiving. We invite everybody who donated to help pack boxes and baskets. Then we coordinate with families and organizations that receive deliveries, split into teams based on who has a truck or SUV, and make the deliveries on Saturday or early in Thanksgiving week.

How will you expand internationally?

AY/ We have employees from Sri Lanka, the Philippines and India. These Basket Brigade programs will function a little differently. For example, in Sri Lanka, we will support a women's shelter where cleaning supplies are very expensive and in high demand. Instead of food, we'll send money to an employee's family member locally to purchase and deliver the much-needed cleaning supplies.

Is social entrepreneurship contagious?

AY/ We believe it is. Part of our mission is to get more and more small business owners involved. EO provides a great network of committed social entrepreneurs to make that happen. Last year, a fellow EO member, Guy O'Gara, and his team donated money for 10 baskets, came to our office to put them together and delivered them. It was a great moment when Guy proudly showed his son the thank-you card display that they contributed to. He plans to participate again this year, and we're putting the word out so more entrepreneurs will also join us.

As a father, one of the most rewarding experiences was taking my 4-year-old son and his two friends to Costco to purchase Basket Brigade items. I explained that we were buying food for little boys and girls who might not have a Thanksgiving dinner without our help, which is an eye-opening lesson at that age. I can't wait to take them again this year!

How do employees and clients react?

AY/ The most important question any entrepreneur must answer is "Why?" To run a successful company, you must have a compelling Why for yourself and your team.

There's nothing wrong with being successful and making money. But in my mind, you can't grow a business if the motivation of the owner and the team aren't aligned. Why should the team care about growth? Why should they have to put up with the stress and uncertainty that comes with growth? Why should they care in general?

On the surface, we help big corporations sell more stuff. But that's not our Why. Our true Why is being able to answer:

• What will we give as we grow?


• Who will we become?


• Whom are we helping?

Our team realizes that, as a result of their work, we as a company can now accomplish wonderful things. Basket Brigade is just one of many activities that we are formalizing under our InfoTrust Foundation.

We believe in the social entrepreneur's mission of giving back to our community. As the quote on our wall from Jeff Hoffman, our mentor and co-founder of Priceline.com says: "Our success is someone else's miracle."

Our clients appreciate our efforts, too. Last year, instead of a holiday card, I sent a personal letter thanking each client for the opportunity to teach my son about giving. I thanked our clients for providing us with the resources to give 121 baskets to the hematology/oncology department at Cincinnati Children's Hospitalbecause if not us, then who? I explained that this is who we are, this is what's important to us, and we will provide them with excellent client care so we will continue to have the resources to take care of the families that we support.

That letter made a big impact. Many clients sent thank-you cards and for the first two weeks in January, our consultants were being thanked for what we've done--and continue to do.

Putting resources toward our Basket Brigade shows employees in a very hands-on way how their hard work directly benefits our community. Their work truly matters, and they realize it. That's our Why.

What's yours?

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Buying a Home Can be a Confusing (and Even Scarring) Experience. One Startup Plans to Change That

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When I was in my early twenties, the idea of buying a home terrified me. The only homes my parents ever owned were both foreclosed on--so for me, buying a home was associated with loss and hardship.

That association of purchasing a home with financial trauma is something many first-time home buyers in 2017 will be familiar with. While millennials waited longer than previous generations to purchase homes, they are finally entering the market. Many will carry scars from watching their parents experience the housing crash that occurred a decade ago.

And the process of buying a home--with its mountain of antiquated paperwork and lack of transparency--isn't likely to ease their anxiety.

One startup is trying to change that. Transactly is a new digital platform that places all the interaction and communication that occurs during the process of buying a home in one place.

The St. Charles, Missouri-based startup and its leadership team have strong roots in real estate. Founder & CEO Bryan Bowles is also the founder of Worth Clark Realty, a company that's twice been featured on the Inc. 5000. In 2016 Bowles' company was #89 on the list, making it the fastest growing company in Missouri and one of the fastest growing real estate brokerages in the country.

But growth for growth's sake was not Bowles and his team's ultimate goal.

"Buying a home is the most important and least transparent financial transaction you'll ever make," Bowles said. "That shouldn't be the case. In fact, the opposite should be true. More than 9 out of 10 real estate transactions start online--then they go dark. It's stressful, it isn't a customer-focused way of doing business, and in this day and age it's inexcusable. Buying a home should be one of the most exciting purchases you'll ever make, and because of a lack of transparency it often isn't."

"Transactly was founded to change that, and we believe in it so much that we want every agent to use it--not just the agents who work for Worth Clark Realty."

I eventually got over my fear of buying a home. Due to job changes and moving, over the past eight years my wife and I have bought or sold a home five times. There was a moment in every one of those transactions where things went dark, so to speak, and my wife and I had no idea what was happening. One sale nearly fell through, and I had flashbacks to the housing-related trauma my family experienced.

In other words, the flaws in the real estate purchase process Bowles and his team are trying to address are real--and a tool that increases transparency goes a long way toward addressing a significant customer pain point.

With the importance of the housing market to the overall economy and the coming wave of first-time buyers (more than 66% of new home buyers are millennials), an innovation that makes purchasing a home more customer-friendly is bound to find a market--and bound to have a big impact on one of the country's most important economic sectors.

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B-School Disrupt: Eight Startups Pitch Their Innovations

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By Louise Lee | Stanford Business contributor

To Alina Liao, the need is urgent: A quarter of city youth witness a murder by age 17, yet most of these youngsters don't receive adequate counseling. To help them heal, Liao has co-founded MindRight, a nonprofit providing mental-health coaching via text message to youth affected by violence and poverty.

Unlike a crisis hotline, "we're proactive," says Liao, who received her MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2016. Through texts, "we reach kids every day, reaching them on their good days and bad days" to help them build skills to prevent future crises down the road, she adds.

Liao was one of the entrepreneurs who spoke at B-School Disrupt SF, an event showcasing eight startups to potential funders and advisors. Held at Galvanize, an entrepreneurship center in San Francisco, the event drew an audience of about 200, including business school alumni, company founders, and investors.

Entrepreneurs presented their startups and heard feedback from a guest panel, which included Bonny Simi, three-time Olympian, president of JetBlue Technology Ventures, and a Stanford GSB Sloan Fellow in 2007. The event was co-hosted by Stanford GSB, the University of Pennsylvania's Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship program, the University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business, Babson College, and Silicon Valley Bank.

Keynote speaker and moderator Jessica Herrin, an alum from Stanford GSB class of 1999, who co-founded WeddingChannel.com and launched Stella & Dot Family Brands, emphasized the long road that entrepreneurs must travel. Finding investors, for instance, is a major accomplishment, but "funding is not profitability; funding is not value creation," she says.

Herrin added that entrepreneurs must realize and accept that they're sure to encounter obstacles repeatedly. To cope and persevere, entrepreneurs need passion about their companies and their missions. "You need to believe so deeply that this thing needs to exist," she says.

Below, meet the other business school startups that presented at the event:

Pando Pooling

Certain individuals, such as entrepreneurs and professional athletes, are in jobs that are inherently financially unstable, says Charlie Olson, who graduated from Stanford GSB in 2017 and co-founder of Pando Pooling, which aims to provide a financial safety net to those in such "high-variance" fields. Pando Pooling groups people with similar career prospects into "pools," with each member pledging some of his or her future earnings to the pool. If one member succeeds by, say, selling his company, then everyone in the pool receives a payout. The setup lets members gain some financial security, invest in others, and create a network of peers, Olson says.

Currently targeting only entrepreneurs and professional baseball players, Pando Pooling ultimately wants to expand into other industries. "The world is risky and getting riskier," Olson says.

Twine Labs

Companies dislike seeing their best people leave, and a good way to retain them is to offer a promotion or a lateral move at the right time, says Joseph Quan, Wharton '17. Twine Labs, which Quan co-founded, creates software allowing employers to predict when an employee might leave and to identify other roles within the company that the employee might want. "Better internal mobility is the single most powerful thing a company can do to improve retention," Quan says.

Twine Labs's software aggregates data about the employer and employees, including salary and work histories, titles, skills, and certifications, to create personal profiles that form the basis of its recommendations. Employees can also use the system to seek out potential roles and career paths within a company.

DropZone for Veterans

When people think of veterans, they think veterans are all similar, says Courtney Wilson, Babson '17. But Wilson, who herself is a veteran and the daughter and granddaughter of veterans, notes that "what will help me is not the same as what will help my dad."

Wilson's company, DropZone for Veterans, connects veterans with benefits and opportunities that reflect their specific needs and interests. Veterans, who aren't charged any fee to use the service, submit personal profiles to the company, which in turn suggests appropriate schools, businesses, and other organizations. The system avoids generic, impersonal advice. "Rather than the veterans having to adjust to the resources, we adjust to them," Wilson says.

HomeSlice

Home ownership overall is at a low, largely because it's too expensive for many individuals to buy property, says Anna Roumiantseva, Haas '17 and co-founder of HomeSlice. "Half the population is locked out of the market in big cities," she says.

HomeSlice lets groups of individuals pool money to purchase real estate jointly. The company helps potential buyers connect with each other, find a property, and work with lenders. HomeSlice also plans to operate an online marketplace where co-owners can seek buyers for their portion of a home. All co-owners have to contribute to a mortgage-payment insurance policy so that if one co-owner in the group defaults on his or her share of the mortgage, the insurance will cover that portion for six months, Roumiantseva says.

Gravyty

Both companies and nonprofits alike accumulate data about customers or donors, but neither type of organization always makes the best use of it. By combining private and public data and analyzing behavioral patterns, Gravyty predicts which are the best prospects to contact and when, says co-founder Richard Palmer, Babson '16.

Gravyty's system even creates a suggested draft of an email to send to prospective customers and donors. It doesn't actually send the email itself; rather, sales teams and fundraisers are free to make changes to the draft and hit the send button when they want. Artificial intelligence "is best used not to take jobs away from people but to free them up to do things that are entirely human," Palmer says.

NecesitoDoc

In Mexico, seeing a doctor is expensive and inefficient, driving patients to self-treat or try other risky solutions, says Leon Rodriguez, Haas '18. Employers are concerned about rising costs and access. To bring medical services to more people at a lower cost, NecesitoDoc allows on-demand video consultations with doctors, says Rodriguez, the company's co-founder.

NecesitoDoc charges patients a per-consultation fee of $8, with the doctor taking 70% and the company keeping the rest. Currently, NecesitoDoc operates only in Mexico but aims to expand to Spanish-speaking immigrant communities in the U.S., which are frequently medically underserved.

BioCellection

Plastic works well for many uses, but most plastic is never recycled because processing and remolding it is difficult, says Miranda Wang, who received her Wharton undergraduate degree in 2016. Her company, BioCellection, is developing new ways to process difficult-to-recycle plastic and turn it into other products. BioCellection's mission is "to focus on treating this plastic innovatively before it becomes pollution," says Wang, the company's co-founder.

BioCellection has developed ways to treat rigid plastic, films such as plastic bags, and plastic contaminated with food. Its first product is an artist's paint made from plastic bags. Wang says the company is now preparing to launch the paint and is receiving input from artists.

This story was first published at Insights by Stanford Business.

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Meet the Philippine Start-up that Wants to Innovate Mass Transport

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Though ride-hailing may get all the attention in the travel space, there are many founders who are trying to innovate in the area of public transport. The Philippine bus- and boat-booking platform Biyaheroes is one of them.

Mirra Reyes, who heads public relations and content at Biyaheroes, says she got the idea for the platform while having lunch with Ace Mercado, who is now the company’s managing director.

“We just complained about how much of a hassle it was to commute to our provinces; Ace is from Pagbilao, Lucena. I’m from Coron, and I love to visit San Juan, La Union to surf,” she says, “We thought about how leisurely endeavors like booking a movie seat or reserving a restaurant table can be, easily booked online. But something as critical as using mass transportation isn’t.”

After founding Biyaheroes, they soon faced a significant problem: Most bus providers did not see their platform as a need — customers would still ride with them whether or not there was online booking available. Others even had existing systems and felt Biyaheroes would be redundant.

Reyes says they convinced bus operators to partner with Biyaheroes by explaining that their platform was more than just a means of offering online booking.

“It also covers higher satisfaction ratings for their customers who won’t line up anymore, the ability to produce advanced sales, and projecting destination demands with guaranteed passengers. Our system can connect with their existing system through an API too, so we can still be an added sales arm,” she says.

With this pitch in mind, they were soon able to convince Romel Singson, president of local bus company Partas, to partner with Biyaheroes. Since their early days, the company has expanded, offering both long and short distance trips with 20 different partners, via both bus and boat.

They have vetted these partners mostly based on coverage. “We want to be able to modernize our country’s mass transportation system on a nationwide, interconnecting scale,” says Reyes, noting that they have now served over 27,000 commuters.

Commuters who want to book through Biyaheroes get an experience similar to booking an airline ticket. They choose an origin, destination, date, number of passengers. Then they choose from the available schedules; seat allocation is displayed in real-time. Fares are settled online via debit or credit card or PayPal, over-the-counter at banks, or at payment centers.

Nevertheless, the vast majority of Filipinos may still not be used to booking trips online so Biyaheroes tries to guide them through customer support.

“If you visit our website, we have real-time chat assistance. We’re also active on all major social media sites and messaging apps. We have a landline, a mobile number, and a dedicated email address. We earn their trust, and we’ve acquired a majority of them from organic, word-of-mouth marketing. They’re happy we’re here, and so are we,” she says.

Reyes says Biyaheroes has become a favorite of travelers, commuters, and overseas foreign workers sojourning in the Philippines.

To fuel Biyaheroes growth, the platform is partnering with travel agencies, hotels, and tour organizers to offer a booking portal where they can resell their bus and boat tickets with the cheapest rates available online. “So far, over 250 are already on board. We’re open to more partnerships, and we’re easy to talk to,” Reyes says.

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Food + Beverage Entrepreneurs Leverage Crowdfunding as a Marketing Tool

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When you think of crowdfunding, you think of raising capital for a unique idea or cause. But what if I told you that crowdfunding can be much more than just a tool to raise capital?

Since going mainstream in 2013, crowdfunding has grown worldwide to a volume of $16.2 billion dollars. As of April 2017, the site Kickstarter launched more than $370,000 projects! And there are now dozens of similar sites that offer similar services. So how do you choose the right platform for your project? One option is to choose a platform with a focused approach. This will allow you to not only raise the capital you need, but also tap into an existing community of like-minded people that are in your target market.

Last week, I caught up with Cheryl Clements, founder and CEO of PieShell, to learn more about her food + beverage crowdfunding site and how her customers can use the platform as a marketing tool.

LM: Tell me the PieShell origin story.

CC: It was the fall of 2013 and I was on the patio with my husband. I looked at him and said, "You don't know this, but every single day I think there has to be something more, I don't make a difference in this world." Six months earlier, one of my best friends had been killed in a freak accident and I realized that I didn't want to die with any regrets, I wanted to start my own business and help others make their dreams come true.

I thought of crowdfunding to start my own business selling my mom's famous salad dressing from when she owned the Courtyard Tea Room in Perth, Ontario, Canada. When I realized there was a 75% failure rate for food and beverage companies on the current crowdfunding sites, and there was no site dedicated to all food and beverage projects, PieShell was born!

"The Pie Shell" was the name of my mom's first company. When I was in high school, my dad, brother, and I helped her make 10K pies over 5 years out of the basement of our house.

The way I know I made the right decision is that I have never questioned myself, even on the toughest days, and I know that this was the "something more" that I was looking for.

LM: How is PieShell different from other crowdfunding platforms?

CC: Besides being food and beverage focused, we really highlight the company, their story, and who the founder is. Our audience, advisors, and team all live and breathe food + beverage. We also make sure you know how to crowdfund before you launch. We do that by providing you with a blueprint of crowdfunding best practices, project reviews, and with our custom three stepping-stone model which helps raise more funds than the traditional sites. All of this has resulted in PieShell's 100% success rate. To date, all of our projects have reached at least their first stepping-stone.

LM: What type of companies can use PieShell?

CC: We accept any project that is food or beverage focused. Packaged goods, apps, books, restaurants, kitchen gadgets, foodtech - you name it, we support it!

LM: How does PieShell facilitate the crowdfunding process?

CC: At PieShell, following crowdfunding best practices is critical for a project's success, so we start you off with an info session to ensure you understand the platform and what crowdfunding really entails. We then incubate you through the crowdfunding process with robust documentation, followed critical review and feedback of your project elements. Finally, we incorporate you into our marketing program to provide as much support as possible.

LM: How can crowdfunding help as a marketing tool?

CC: Crowdfunding is the BEST marketing tool! Where else can you promote yourself, get your story out there, get your product into people's hands, get their feedback on the product, build brand ambassadors, and raise money at the same time?

LM: What are some best practices you can share with brands that are looking to launch a successful crowdfunding campaign?

CC: Don't be shy. Some people have issues asking for help and/or asking for money. But, understand you are starting a company to put an amazing product or service into this world, raising money for your family, and creating jobs for others. LET people help you and be proud of asking them too. As my grandmother used to say, "A friend in need, is a friend indeed!"

Make your crowdfunding ask realistic. So many people don't understand that the average raise on the big sites is only about $7K, and most contributions are in the $25-$50 range. Our average raise is close to $13K, and we make sure that you understand that you should always ask for the bare minimum that you are willing to walk away with at the end, and then do everything you can to be overfunded.

Perfect your story. Your video and project copy is critical for people to understand you. They must answer critical questions such as: Why are you raising funds? What are you doing with the money? Why is your product/idea important? Why are you the right person to do it? And why do you want support from the community? Transparency and sincerity are key!

Promote your project. One of the issues is that people get nervous and don't broadcast what they are doing. Pre-marketing, growing your network, and getting the right community partners are critical steps to communicate to your audience.

"Contributors are King". Similar to the ideology that the "Customer is King," treat your contributors the same way. They are trusting you and investing themselves in your business. Keep them updated throughout the project, thank them personally and via social media shout outs, and make sure you complete the fulfillment of rewards in a timely manner.

LM: We know that PieShell has launched a 60-day equity crowdfunding campaign. How has assisting others in their product launch influenced your own crowdfunding campaign?

CC: We did! PieShell was brought to life via a successful GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign, and to help with our seed round, we turned to equity crowdfunding. We wanted the support of our community, but more importantly, I wanted to be able to give back to all the people that have supported me along the way by allowing them to own part of PieShell. We 100% practice what we preach, by shouting it from the rooftops, thanking our early investors, being as transparent as possible, ensuring that our minimum amount is enough to truly move the company forward and not over-reaching. All of these things are what we see from the most successful projects on our platform, and knowing that we helped our customers keeps us going to raise our own funding to be able to help others.

Crowdfunding can be stressful, which is why choosing the right platform is important for success. If you are in a niche market, consider a niche focused platform like PieShell that will help you leverage your target audience, grow brand awareness, engage customers and build your following.

The post Food + Beverage Entrepreneurs Leverage Crowdfunding as a Marketing Tool appeared first on inc-asean.com.

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5 Lessons in Office Design From TED’s Innovative New York Digs

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PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

The nonprofit media company TED is all about producing inspiring and innovate videos. Since the organization's launch in 1984, TED has been on a mission to gather and disperse "ideas worth sharing." TED's speaker roster is home to a host of impressive names, with recorded talks from individuals such Elon Musk, Tony Robbins, and even Pope Francis.

TED operates in New York with office space in the trendy SOHO neighborhood. As you might expect, TED has created an ideal place for workers to remain creative and focused.

If you're looking to do an office re-design, don't start the project from scratch. Instead, look to innovative organizations like TED to jumpstart the brainstorming process.

Here are 5 lessons from TED to build a better office space:

1. Don't forget your green thumb - with all the technology and screen time required of today's employees; it's essential to re-ground them by integrating plants into the overall design. TED's office looks into the atrium, but the glass has been draped with tall plants to provide both protection and a connection to nature.

2. Get your employees involved - by integrating your employees' ideas into the build-out process, they will feel more ownership and pride over the space. In TED's office, employee pictures are framed and hung upon the walls.

3. Brand your office space - no matter big or small your company is, take the opportunity to brand your space. Inside TED's 100-person amphitheater the organization's red logo is prominently displayed for all to see. While the amphitheater is mostly used to watch and record TED talks, it also serves as in ideal branding opportunity, with visitors regularly taking pictures in front of the iconic branding.

4. Celebrate the differences - not all workers reach maximum productivity, in the same way, so offering different workspaces will benefit the range of personalities on your team. TED chose an open floor plan, but they offer a variety of desk options, such as sitting desk, standing desks, and even swivel chairs with work trays.

5. Design for the future - your office space should represent where the company is today, but also where your organization is headed. TED's recent office overhaul was completed with the company's future in mind, and yours should be too.

When you think of designing your workspace, be sure to integrate these tips. Your employees will thank you and productivity will soar.

The post 5 Lessons in Office Design From TED’s Innovative New York Digs appeared first on inc-asean.com.

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Everything You Need to Know About Uber’s New Credit Card

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PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Uber just announced its entry into the credit card business at the Money2020 conference in Las Vegas.

In partnership with Barclays and Visa, the new card will give Uber an opportunity to assume a larger role in both online and offline markets.

Already having the information about the traveling pursuits of around 10 million people, Uber will now have records of its customers' purchases and buying habits too, thus becoming one of the giants possessing valuable customer information.

With another foray and access point towards customer data, experts are foreseeing this move of Uber as a direct battle against Amazon for ultimate customer information ownership and forming customized shopping experiences.

The application process is pretty simple. Starting November 2, 2017 Uber will give users the option to get the card right in its app. It will feed all of the information they have on file for their customers into the application process.

It only takes a few minutes.

After applying for the card online, within a few minutes an applicant will get a verdict on their "creditworthiness" status. After that, the applicant is good to go. The card will automatically be available for use for Uber rides and UberEats. The physical card on its way to your mailbox within a week or so.

"Our customers have busy lives -- they are dining, traveling and shopping, and we want to make those experiences seamless and rewarding," Judy Zhu, who leads Strategic Partnership at Uber, was quoted as saying.

Uber is putting its best foot forward in terms of rewards.

The no-fee card is packed with incentives. First off is offering a bonus of $100 after a purchase spend of $500 within the first 90 days. It also has 4 percent back on restaurants and bar purchases, 3 percent back on airfare, hotels, and Airbnb, 2 percent on online purchases and 1 percent on everything else.

Every percent back is equal to one point and that one point is worth one cent when used for any of the reward options available.

So, for example, you earn 4 percent back or 4 points for every $1 spent on dining. Redemptions for the credits start at 500 points for $5. There is a $500 a day limit in the amount of points you can redeem and only the primary cardholder can redeem the points.

Swipe away!

***Abhik Shome contributed to this article

The post Everything You Need to Know About Uber’s New Credit Card appeared first on inc-asean.com.

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My Marketing Experiment Paid Off: How I Increased Gross Sales By $100,000 Through This Straightforward Task

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PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

As a branding and marketing strategist I'm always aware of (and trying out) the latest and greatest methods, theories and tools for how to get the word out about a business -- and 2017 was no exception.

With the plethora of new apps, social sites and expert suggestions, I had my hands full. Besides, I make it a policy to never recommend anything to my clients I have not tried out myself.

But there was one experiment I tried this year that produced better results than any social media campaign or speech I gave. It's not a new theory, hot app or magical software. Rather, it's a good old-fashioned core principle of business development that I have taught my clients for years.

In fact, it was so successful that I decided to make it the focus of my next book. It's called "Loose Change in the Couch Marketing," and anyone can do it. Here's the idea.

Look, Ma, I found a quarter!

If you are reading this, chances are that you have accidently (or purposefully) fished around in between the cushions of a couch and found a quarter. Come on; we have all done it. Well I realized one day that the same idea could be applied to marketing. It occurred to me that I had all kinds of loose coins (as it were) hanging around my business, and that I had only to reach out and retrieve them.

Find the gold in your inbox.

Looking through my email inbox, client data base and website contact forms, I saw literally dozens of opportunities I had not taken advantage of. Why? A few key reasons:

• I got busy and dropped the ball.


• I missed the follow-up window or deadline.


• I could never get in touch with the person despite emails/calls back and forth.


• I lost track of the item because it got pushed too far down in my email.


• I simply forgot.

My first step was to comb through and identify the potential clients, business development possibilities and marketing opportunities I had missed out on in the past year.

Create a spreadsheet of possibilities.

Next, I created a spreadsheet to capture the name and info for all the possibilities I was unearthing. When I was done just generating the list, I had over 25 prospects for increased profits, many of which were overlooked or had simply fallen off the radar.

Reach out and reconnect.

Spreadsheet in hand I spent about 15 minutes a day reaching out, until I had covered everyone on the list. Here are some of the marketing and business development situations I encountered and the ways I applied the loose change philosophy to turn them into profits.

• Situation. A potential client reached out to your website contact form, but you were never able to connect. After several back-and-forth emails, or trying to schedule a time to talk, you gave up. Loose change action: Send that person an email.


• Situation. A potential client, or even a former client, was interested in your service or product but decided against it due to timing, cash flow or another reason -- not related to fit or quality. If the issue was resource based (time, money, etc.), then things may have changed. Loose change action: "I just wanted to check in on that."


• Situation. You met someone at a conference or cocktail party or on an airplane who expressed interest in what you do, but you never followed up and their business card sits gathering dust in your desk. Loose change action: Time is not the only factor.

One of the most important things to keep in mind is that even if a year has gone by -- it may not be too late. In some cases, the ship has sailed and the potential opportunity has blown away like a tumbleweed in the Wild West.

But in my case, at least half the time, there was still a need. Don't let the amount of time that has passed be the only determining factor.

So does all this work? Because of contacting the people on my list and re-establishing contact, my bottom line in 2017 increased by 20 percent. In one case, I closed a six-figure piece of business. The client and their business were ready to pull the trigger in a way they had not been a year earlier.

Mind you it took a few months, and more than one meeting, but the final result was a substantial piece of work that never would have happened had I not been practicing "Loose Change in the Couch Marketing." And that's something I can take to the bank.

 

The post My Marketing Experiment Paid Off: How I Increased Gross Sales By $100,000 Through This Straightforward Task appeared first on inc-asean.com.

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Jeff Bezos Made $6.2 Billion in 5 Minutes and Became the World’s Richest Person (How Was Your Thursday?)

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PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Imagine you’re good friends with Jeff Bezos, and you had a great day, and you can't wait to tell him about it. So you email Jeff Bezos at Amazon to share the details, and then you ask him, politely: "Enough about me Jeff, how was your day?"

Jeff doesn't want to upstage you-;but he can't help it, if he's being truthful:

“Not bad," he'll say. "I made more than $6 billion in five minutes.”

This is no joke. Amazon’s stock jumped 7.1 percent yesterday afternoon, on the news of its amazing third quarter earnings report.

At 4 p.m., as the market closed, it was trading at $972 a share; five minutes later in after hours trading, it popped to $1,041.15. And since Bezos still owns about 17 percent of Amazon’s common stock, if you do the math-;boom, $6.24 billion.

That puts Bezos's total net worth at about $83.5 billion, and should return him to the top spot on the list of the world's richest people .

He wasn't the only master of the universe to see a giant leap Thursday. Larry Page and Sergei Brin picked up $1.2 billion and $1.15 billion each, after Alphabet's stock surged on an earnings report. And Bill Gates is worth an extra $340 million based on Microsoft's jump.

But seriously, your friend Jeff Bezos's increase? It's insane. I don't begrudge him; Amazon is an amazing company, but just how much is $6.24 billion?

• It's enough to buy lunch for literally every single person in the United States (at about $19 each, mind you).


• It's almost exactly twice President Trump's entire net worth, according to Forbes.


• It's just a bit less than the entire gross domestic product of the country of Kyrgyzstan.

In fact, to visualize this, let's pretend that this briefcase emojii (

The post Jeff Bezos Made $6.2 Billion in 5 Minutes and Became the World’s Richest Person (How Was Your Thursday?) appeared first on inc-asean.com.

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21 Quotes to Inspire You to Finish 2017 Strong

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PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

With Halloween next week, the holiday season is near. That means the amount of time left for working in 2017 is minimal. I find this to be a great time of reflection on the events of the year so far. For me it has come with many accomplishments and surprises. Happily, I experienced few disappointments.

It's easy to just be done at this point and begin the holiday revelry. You might find yourself tempted just to coast to the end thinking, "I'll just save my mental energy and start fresh in the new year." But the last quarter, like the last few miles of a race, is a great time to dig deep and aim to excel. Much can be accomplished in a few short weeks. After all, while everyone else is pulling up, the winner is often the one who finds the strength for one more burst of speed.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes to help you finish strong.

1. "No one has a problem with the first mile of a journey. Even an infant could do fine for a while. But it isn't the start that matters. It's the finish line." Julien Smith

2. Nothing builds self-esteem and self-confidence like accomplishment. Thomas Carlyle

3. "There we both sat and rested for a while, facing the rising sun the way we'd climbed, for looking back can sometimes help you on." Dante

4. "Don't tell me how hard you work. Tell me how much you get done." James Ling

5. "Small steps add up to complete big journeys." Matshona Dhliwayo

6. "Stopping at third adds no more to the score than striking out. It doesn't matter how well you start if you fail to finish." Billy Sunday

7. "Whenever you have taken up work in hand, you must see it to the finish. That is the ultimate secret of success. Never, never, never give up!" Dada Vaswani

8. "The last thing you want to do is finish playing or doing anything and wish you would have worked harder." Derek Jeter

9. "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men 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." Calvin Coolidge

10. "We will go to the moon. We will go to the moon and do other things, not because they are easy but because they are hard." John F. Kennedy, Jr.

11. "The woods are lovely dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep." Robert Frost

12. "If the word quit is part of your vocabulary, then the word finish is likely not." B.G. Jett

13. "Every morning in Africa, an antelope wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion, or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest antelope, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're the lion or an antelope - when the sun comes up, you'd better be running." African Proverb

14. "The high cost of greatness is better than the low cost of mediocrity." Matshona Dhliwayo

15. "The beginning is the word and the end is silence. And in between are all the stories." Kate Atkinson

16. "The opposite of the happy ending is not actually the sad ending-the sad ending is sometimes the happy ending. The opposite of the happy ending is actually the unsatisfying ending." Orson Scott Card

17. "We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves, otherwise we harden." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

18. "Remember no matter how fast you run, you can't be the winner if you don't finish." Israelmore Ayivor

19. "Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

20. "Starting strong is good. Finishing strong is epic." Robin Sharma

21. "For last year's words belong to last year's language. And next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning." T.S. Eliot

The post 21 Quotes to Inspire You to Finish 2017 Strong appeared first on inc-asean.com.

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Actually, Virtual Reality Is Not the Future of Entertainment

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PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Every so often I have an experience that is so interesting, so powerful, or so delightful, that I feel compelled to put aside whatever topic I had been working on to write about it. Recently, I took part in a workshop that had all three of these attributes, and then some.

I'm calling 49 Boxes a workshop because that was how it was originally presented to me; although it wasn't remotely like any other workshop I had ever attended.

It all began with a blunder. When I signed up to attend the Future of Storytelling Conference, I skimmed the on-boarding email the organizers had sent me in advance. In doing so, I missed seeing that we could pick which workshops we wanted to attend, and so my schedule was generated randomly.

I should be careless more often.

Unlike most conference workshops, which fall somewhere between lecture and discussion group, 49 Boxes was a sort of combination game, team building exercise, and historical adventure. In less than an hour, hosts Michael Borys and Andrew Lieu (who are also behind many of the immersive media and marketing projects a 42 Entertainment) turned a room full of powerful media executives and producers into a gaggle of wide-eyed children as they worked together to unlock a mystery routed in nearly century old magic, mechanical derring-do, and escapist fantasy.

I had the opportunity and meet Michael Borys after the event and to interview his about his process, ideas, and inspirations.

What is the through-line that ties all your work together--from your agency work to your most recent 49 Boxes project?

It really comes down to an endless cycle of passion, obsession, and addiction.

We're passionate about creating experiences and telling stories that entertain both ourselves and audiences at large. There's nothing more rewarding to us than watching people pour over and get lost in the worlds we design.

We're obsessed in that, as soon as a new experience plays out, we're already thinking about how to top what we've just done, It's coded into our DNA. Every creative member of our team is programmed this way, and it's no surprise that we've gravitated toward one another. Storytelling is an obsession for us and there's nothing like seeing that pay off when audiences come along for the journey.

The 49 Boxes experience is different because there is no client. There is no marketing message to push and no product to sell. It is pure art, but it still retains the qualities of every high budget work-for-fire job we've ever done. We are addicted to creating interactive experiences. In many ways, 49 Boxes is for us.

You've described 49 Boxes as a "very expensive side project." Why is it so important to have side projects, even when we're busy with everything else going on in our lives?

Expensive is subjective. Compared to marketing projects we've done for the biggest blockbuster films in Hollywood and triple A video games, 49 Boxes is a drop in the bucket. Where the expense comes in, is the time and craftsmanship that we put into it. If we logged that in terms of hourly rates it would be staggering.

That said, we're artists first and marketers second. We are passionate about creating artistic landmarks that will be talked about forever. When you do that day in and day out as an agency for other people's projects, it's important to find time to just sit down and create just for creations sake. Pushing ourselves this way not only satiates that drive, but it also benefits our clients.

Sometimes it's important to just do what you want without compromise. No one to tell you 'no.' No death by committee. No decisions driven by fear or wrong guesses about ROI. With side projects we can experiment and learn, make mistakes and push boundaries. All of that ultimately goes into the work we do for others.

What's intriguing about 49 Boxes is that it has meaning to those who experience it long after they've left the theater. Even though our marketing campaigns win awards and are talked about long after they run, they are usually just means to an end. Once the movie, or game, or product is out, it's over and done. 49 Boxes is an experience that will evolve and play out for years to come.

What's next for marketing, art, and the intersection of the two?

Our view on marketing activations is that it's not just about creating something new or sexy--it's about creating something meaningful. Taking chances is important, but what really resonates with an audience is when we give them skin in the game. When their participation in the experience matters, they are given agency and are sometimes even transformed. Those kind of results can build brand advocates for life. Chasing cool will take you down a lot of wrong turns, but building work that inspires will always be in fashion.

The buzzword today is definitely 'experience' but we're a bit perplexed by it. Not that it's what people are looking for, but the idea that it's somehow a new epiphany. People have always been looking for fun and cool things to do. They've always been attracted to stories, being immersed in worlds, and interacting. It's a fundamental part of our being. 49 Boxes is unique in that it's a multi-layered analog experience that gets people to put down their digital devices for a couple of hours and collaborate with real people in the same room together. It's not selling anything but mystery and fun.

Our dream is that marketing can be more of a gift rather than something to sidestep. We're tired of companies trying to jam products and slogans down our throats. Not every advertisement wants to be an immersive experience, and the term brand story is starting to plummet into a meaningless catch phrase. But, there's no question that people do want and expect more from brands these days, and one of those things is definitely creativity.

What can someone without a big budget do to bring more attention to their work?

Maximizing your vision and getting exposure is still just a lot of hard work. Money can always help to get you out there, but even the biggest budget projects don't always get the results you may expect. It's not the sexiest answer, but what we've had the most success with is still networking and passion.

When it comes to networking, your budget obviously dictates how many people you can get in front of so it's vital that you use those dollars and time as effectively as possible. There just isn't the time to chase down every lead, so knowing what you want to accomplish with those opportunities when they present themselves is key. Do they have networks that you can leverage? Can they help stock your product, or sell tickets, or generate positive word of mouth?

This relationship building should really start during development. Once you have enough to show, start building a circle of experts that you trust. Not just on the business side of things, but creatively. We've already established that we don't see design by committee as a way to get stuff done, but input is invaluable. Listening to people's feedback is important, but really watching what they do and how they experience your project is essential.

The right circle will not only help highlight things that you can improve or jettison, but they will introduce you to new resources, be it new people, or technologies, or funding opportunities, etc. By giving them a voice, they become personally invested, and that investment will pay off multifold.

The last thing we'll say on this subject is to be good people. When someone comes up to you after going through your experience, or using your product, or listening to you speak, be nice. They obviously found value in what you are selling and they are making an effort to let you know. These are your advocates and early adopters. Not only are they eager and ready to spread the word, but you never know who they might be. Being attentive and respectful might even land you an article in Inc.

What has surprised you most as you've shared 49 Boxes with the world?

One of the biggest things that we've seen come out of 49 Boxes is that the collaboration aspect has been exponentially more successful and well received than we anticipated. After every performance the thing we hear most is how amazing it was for people to interact and solve problems with strangers. It's part of the design for sure, but we've seen people network with each other, exchange contact info, even end up going to dinner after.

We've started to get performance requests for various corporate functions and team building sessions, which in retrospect makes a lot of sense. This might be of great value to Inc. readers. It's not cheesy worksheets, or mudruns, or 'catch me when I fall back' exercises. It's immersive storytelling infused with real collaboration throughout. We'd love to be able to offer this as a side business to help generate funds as we continue to build 49 Boxes into a commercial success.

What's next for marketing, art, and the intersection of the two?

The buzzword today is definitely 'experience' but we're a bit perplexed by it. Not that it's what people are looking for, but the idea that it's somehow a new epiphany. People have always been looking for fun and cool things to do. They've always been attracted to stories, being immersed in worlds, and interacting. It's a fundamental part of our being.

Our view on marketing activations is that it's not just about creating something new or sexy--it's about creating something meaningful. Taking chances is important, but what really resonates with an audience is when we give them skin in the game. When their participation in the experience matters, they are given agency and are sometimes even transformed. Those kind of results can build brand advocates for life. Chasing cool will take you down a lot of wrong turns, but building work that inspires will always be in fashion.

On the art front, it's only natural that it evolves from something that you look at, to something that you touch, and feel, and play with. On a pragmatic level, it's obvious that technology is playing a huge role in providing the tools and channels to make a lot of things possible that just weren't before, but we think it's much deeper than that.

Our passion really is the blending of the physical and the digital--Technology that inspires real-life actions and vice versa. Obviously augmented reality is a huge focus for us right now because it's exactly that. We're pushing hard to transform that world from being bad 3D pop-up ads and mediocre games, to real opportunities for immersion in worlds and stories. The surface has barely even been scratched.

As for the intersection of the two, are dream is that marketing can be more of a gift rather than something to sidestep. We're tired of companies trying to jam products and slogans down our throats. Not every advertisement wants to be an immersive experience, and the term brand story is starting to plummet into a meaningless catch phrase. But, there's no question that people do want and expect more from brands these days, and one of those things is definitely creativity.

The post Actually, Virtual Reality Is Not the Future of Entertainment appeared first on inc-asean.com.

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11 Billion-Dollar Startups Re-Inventing Money and How You Use It

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PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Everyone likes money.

But technology that handles money is what's really popular these days.

The rise of "fintech," or, financial technology, has unleashed a new breed of apps, sites and services designed to help consumers pay for goods, get loans and manage their retirement accounts.

Fintech is a multi-billion dollar industry, with startups in the US raising around $18 billion since 2015, according to PitchBook and nearly 1,400 venture capitalist-backed deals. Two of the most valuable startups in the country -- Stripe and SoFi -- are in the fintech sector. And there are 11 fintech startups valued at more than $1 billion.

To get a sense of why fintech is so hot right now, we took a look at the 11 most valuable VC-funded US fintech startups, as compiled by PitchBook.

Like any fast-growing industry, fintech hasn't been without its bumps. Some companies on the list have had layoffs and scaled back from their initial success. One in particular -- SoFi -- forced out its CEO over summer following allegations of sexual harassment at the company.

But all 11 startups have made a dent in the space and give credence to venture capital's multi-billion dollar bet that fintech isn't going away anytime soon. Here's why:

Correction: An earlier version of this article identified First Data's Clover as number 11, instead of Clover Health. The article has been updated to reflect this change.

11. Clover Health -- $1.2 billion

Clover Health is valued at $1.2 billion since its $130 million financing round in June 2017.

The health insurance company is backed by Alphabet Inc.'s investment arm GV and focuses on customers with Medicare Advantage.

For customers, it's just another insurance company. But Clover also aims to use data to improve its users' health. The company analyzes patient data to identify gaps in care and potential medical issues, in order to prevent emergencies which might be costly to the insurance provider.

The company has raised a total of $425 million since it launched in 2013.

10. Kabbage -- $1.3 billion

Kabbage is valued at $1.3 billion, according to PitchBook estimates, thanks to a $250 million investment round in August 2017.

Founded in 2009, Kabbage is an automated lending platform for small businesses. It's since raised $1.35 billion in investments and debt financing -- making it the most well-funded startup in the state of Georgia.

The company currently has more than 100,000 clients, and has lent more than $3.5 billion to small and medium sized businesses since it launched.

9. Robinhood -- $1.3 billion

Who said Robinhood only gives to the poor?

The zero-commission, US-focused stock brokerage is valued at $1.3 billion following a $110 million funding round in April 2017.

In total, Robinhood has raised $176 million, which is quite a lot considering the founders were initially rejected by 75 different venture capitalists.

Robinhood, which was founded in 2012, is popular with Millennials who appreciate the $0 commission fee on its trades. Despite rejecting the common revenue model of its legacy competitors like Charles Schwab and E*Trade, the company makes money on interest from dollars and cents left in its customer's accounts, and it also offers a premium product called Robinhood Gold, which has additional perks, like extended trading hours, in exchange for a $6 monthly subscription fee.

8. Avidxchange -- $1.4 billion

Avidxchange also joined the unicorn club this year, with a value of $1.4 billion following a $300 million funding round in June 2017.

Since its launch in 2000, the enterprise tech company, which offers services as banal as accounts payable and on-demand invoice management, has raised a total of $545 million in traditional venture capital investments and private equity.

Avidxchange is interesting for several reasons, one of which is its latest funding round, which was remarkably high for a company which is nearly 20 years old. It's also the most well-funded startup in North Carolina.

7. Coinbase -- $1.6 billion

Coinbase gained unicorn status this summer with a $1.6 billion valuation, thanks to a $108 million funding round announced in August 2017.

Coinbase, which launched in 2012, is a leading cryptocurrency exchange which allows users to buy and sell digital currencies like bitcoin and ether. Altogether, the company has raised $217 million in funding.

Its success comes at a time of transition for cryptocurrencies from a side project for hackers to a mainstream investment option. Bitcoin just hit an all-time-high of $6,000, yet many users are still intimidated by cryptocurrencies and the blockchain technology behind it, so they rely on companies like Coinbase to authenticate their investments, and bring a bit of old school establishment to the Wild West of digital exchanges.

6. Apttus -- $1.9 billion

Apttus is worth $1.9 billion following a $55 million investment in September 2017.

The company, which was founded in 2006, specializes in what it calls "quote-to-cash software" -- essentially, Apttus uses artificial intelligence to make the sales contract process go more smoothly.

Perhaps most intriguing is that Apttus didn't even raise money during its first seven years. It waited until 2013. It's since raised a total of $329 million.

5. Avant -- $2 billion

Avant was valued at $2 billion after a $325 million funding round in September 2015.

The personal loan company, which uses a mix of artificial intelligence and consumer data to establish interest rates for customers, first launched in 2012 and has since raised $1.779 billion in investments and debt financing.

Though its valuation makes it the fifth most valuable fintech startup in the US, it's seen some rocky shores in the years since. In June 2016, the company reportedly laid off staff and lowered its monthly lending by half.

4. Oscar -- $2.7 billion

Oscar garnered a $2.7 billion valuation from its February 2016 funding round of $400 million.

The company sells individual health insurance plans on a user-friendly digital interface with branding that screams lifestyle brand, rather than the more stodgy safety-net vibe from brick and mortar insurance vets.

Oscar launched in 2013 and gained momentum as Obamacare and the gig economy left many people with the need for quick and convenient healthcare plans. It's come around at a time in which the quality of health insurance is at the forefront of national debate in the US, leaving Oscar with a huge opportunity to disrupt in areas like customer service and transparency of coverage.

3. Credit Karma -- $3.5 billion

Credit Karma scored a $3.5 billion valuation on a $175 million funding round in June 2015 which brought the company's total funding to $368 million.

The personal finance company, which specializes in issuing free credit scores and reports, launched in 2007. It's since taken over the digital credit monitoring space, thanks in part to large scale data breaches like Equifax, which have left consumers concerned about fraudulent credit activity.

2. SoFi -- $4.4 billion

SoFi was valued at $4.4 billion during its most recent round of funding in February 2017, which brought the company $500 million from investors. In total, the company has raised over $2 billion, including a $1 billion round led by SoftBank in 2015.

SoFi -- short for Social Finance -- is an online lender which focuses on refinancing student loans and mortgages for low-risk borrowers. It's made a dent in the financial service space as a new type of lender outside of the traditional banks.

Still, SoFi has a few hurdles ahead. The company has been on shaky ground since its co-founder and CEO Mike Cagney stepped down in September following claims of sexual harassment at the company from current and past employees.

1. Stripe -- $9.2 billion

Stripe was valued at $9.2 billion in its most recent $150 million funding round in November 2016. The company has raised a total of $440 million since its founding in 2010.

Stripe is a payments processing startup that lets any business accept credit cards, Apple Pay, and other similar services. Some of its biggest customers include Lyft, Salesforce and Amazon.

It's quickly become the standard for online payments, though the company still faces some competition from startups like Braintree and longtime power players like PayPal.

This post originally appeared on Business Insider.

The post 11 Billion-Dollar Startups Re-Inventing Money and How You Use It appeared first on inc-asean.com.

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