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eB4T Features -
Interviews
Exclusive eB4T Interview with Norman Tan Thanx Norman for the great interview! You can check his website at http://m9.getamped.com. If you would like to talk to Norman personally, you can email him at Normantan@home.com 1. When [how] did you get interested in Business? Well, one day, I just decided that I was going to learn HTML and Photoshop. So I picked up a copy of Photoshop 4 and searched for all the tutorials that I could find. It's just a matter of practice, practice, and more practice. Oh, and the fact that I enjoy reading helps too. 2. When [how] did you get interested in computers & the internet? I got interested in computers and the internet about a year ago, when I got a half decent computer (266 P2 128 megs RAM) and a nice fast cable connection. From there, I just picked stuff up and here I am now. 3. How did you come up with the idea for an eCommerce business? I don't have an eCommerce business, its a web design agency. Good enough. :) 4. What problems did you encounter along the way? How did you solve them? The biggest hurdle I had to overcome would have to be getting clients in the first place. All it took was just one big break (www.cycling.bc.ca) and the jobs started coming in. 5. [How do you measure success?] Who or what helped you most to become successful? Success? Er, that’s a tough one since I haven't really thought about it. I guess that I would measure success in terms of the skills that I gain that will help me in the future such as interacting with people. Satisfied clients would be another way that I measure success. Regarding whom I can attribute much of my success to, I would have to say, the most important person would have to be Lee, a good friend of mine. Without his infinite words of wisdom, I'd still be drifting around, not knowing what to do. If friends give you advice, always take it into consideration because more often than not, they'll be right. 6. How many people are involved in your company now? [What kind of people do you look for to work for/ with your company?] Grand total of 1. It's small and I intend to keep it that way, for now. In terms of people I work for, I'm not too picky, as long as they aren't too demanding (make me a 100 page site in 1 day) or too cheap (make me an SSL shopping cart enabled site and I'll pay you $40) I'll work for them. Regarding whom I chose to work for me. I don't have any working for me yet, but in the future as my company expands, I will probably look for an equal opportunity partnership because I feel that I'd be more comfortable in that environment. They'll have to have the skills needed, be a hard worker and have effective communication skills. That's all I'd ask. 7. What the best thing that has come from being a teen entrepreneur? Well, money for one, but that's just a small fraction of things you gain from running your own business. Chances are that you will start off small (maybe 1 or 2 people) so you will be forced to deal with your customers. You'll pick up people skills that will help you so much in the future. It's amazing how few people know how to deal with potential clients. You will be forced to learn these skills or you will fail. Either way, you'll gain valuable experience that you will apply in the future, whether it be during a job interview or dealing with an irate customer in your store. The fact that you can sleep in until whenever you want is nice too. 8. What do you consider to be your biggest [most personally satisfying] accomplishment? Well, my biggest accomplishment so far would be the Cycling BC site that I did. http://www.cycling.bc.ca Its huge and I had to deal with a lot of information and sort it out into relevant categories. Boy was I ever glad when I uploaded the final version. Even today, it changes about once a week. My most satisfying accomplishment would have to be this little picture I drew up. http://dafonz.cjb.net/gallery/monk.htm It was the first time I was able to draw something half decent in Photoshop so I was pretty happy with how it turned out. 9. What is your advice to aspiring teen entrepreneurs? Starting up your business... Take a look at your skills. What are you good at? If you are an artist, sell off your talent, create images for other people. Once you've set down the groundwork for your business, take a look at the competition then see if you can partner with anyone. Should you chose to partner with a business/individual, be sure that your skills augment each other. Two artists isn't exactly an ideal business relationship. A more realistic one would be an artist and a programmer. Also, be sure that you are able to effectively communicate with them, no communications = projects that turn out like crap. Running your business... Ok, you've created your own company, now lets just wait for the customers to roll on in right? Wrong. You will have to promote yourself. Schmooze, network, sell yourself and your products, tell everyone you know, make your business are high profile as possibly. Do volunteer work. That way, customers can see what you offer and if it's good, they will come. Once you get some customers, make sure ALL of them are satisfied, do anything in your power to make them happy. One disgruntled customer will hurt your business more than anything because they will tell their friends and word will spread. Constantly promote your company, but do not spam, it will hurt your business and people will despise you for it. Anything else I missed... Key to a successful business is effective promotion and satisfied customers. Practice your people skills as much as you can, because you'll need them more than ever. Oh, and always smile. It's good for you. 10. What are your plans for the future? None yet. I'm just keeping my options open for now. Maybe in a year, I'll have thought it out and put my life in some sort of general direction. For now, I'm just going to enjoy it while I can. Thanx Norman for the great interview! You can check his website at http://m9.getamped.com. If you would like to talk to Norman personally, you can email him at Normantan@home.com . about us . thanx . contact . awards . guestbook . site map . Copyright (C) 1999 (email link outdated) |