EliteCashBlog

What an excellent read!! Straightforward and extremely transparent, Marc Ecko (fashion designer, entrepreneur, investor, artist, and philanthropist) tells you his story of becoming an entrepreneur from the beginning. He holds nothing back – from his youth which was the platform for what developed into his first business venture, to the expansive(and very expensive) mistakes made to the bullshit and politics of marketing & branding that no one ever writes about to his currently lucrative multiple businesses. Marc shares it all and reminds us that with tenacity and creativity, even the most insurmountable challenges in business are just the other side of the coin to massive success. Fun, informative, refreshingly honest – this book is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Check it out here.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

During the 2008 recession, Melissa Ben-Ishay was fired from her advertising job. After hearing the news, her brother encouraged her to go home and bake cupcakes, so they could start a business. And bam – just like that, Baked By Melissa was born. The first store, in 2009, was a window in New York’s trendy SoHo neighborhood manned by Melissa herself. The cupcakes were bite-sized, so customers could have one of everything, without feeling guilty. This ‘small’ decision made a big difference. Today, Baked By Melissa has more than a dozen cupcake outposts, offers an online “cupcake creator” for customized treats, and now ships nationwide.

Check out this video here presented by American Express Open where Melissa discusses how the business grew, how she found the right people for her team, and how she uses social media to make the business better.

Before The Secret, before being a life coach was an actual career option, before all the wannabe self-help gurus there was Tony Robbins-motivational speaker, author, master of transformation. In a recent interview with Entrepreneur.com, Tony elaborates on what he calls the 7 ‘forces’ of business mastery. If you have your own business, plan on launching one, or even are looking for ammunition to kick off one of your new year goals, please check out this interview here. May the force be with you.

DIY.org is a site co-founded by Zach Klein and Isiah Saxton, challenging kids to be creatively confident and try new things by teaching them new skills. It is wonderful in my opinion for both youth and adults. As we get older, we can become jaded and fearful of change. Here’s to stepping outside the box – one project at a time. Check out their mission video with the Collaborative Fund here in an article for Fast Company. Also, check out the actual DIY site here.

Check out this episode of Small Empires as Alexis Ohanian speaks with the brilliant Anthony Casalena, founder of SquareSpace here and listen to his journey from start-up to testing limits in the art of entrepreneurship.