What Failing 3 Times Taught Me About Starting a Business
Entrepreneurship is tough and punishes those who dare
Call it whatever you want, but you must be insane to go out on your own. “OK Derek, why are you being so negative?” I’m not. I am being blunt. And if this is not your cup of tea, this would be a good time to bounce — this article doesn’t get prettier from here […]
Why I Started My Own Boutique Ad Agency Business
Starting a business comes with it’s set of challenges. A boutique ad agency startup is no different. By the time I realized how much it takes to run a startup, there was no looking back. I was in too deep. My boutique ad agency has to work! Some people give me grief for using the […]
From Necessary to Impossible
There’s just too much information out there about how to grow your new business. If this is your first start up, and if you’re like most entrepreneurs, then chances are you will be overwhelmed. From accounting and marketing to technology and process. It’s an endless list of “TO-DOs” that will keep you up every night. […]
A Raw and No Bullshit Dose of Reality for Any Startup
Anyone who’s starting their own business understands and can appreciate how difficult things can get — financially, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Let’s face it, start up life is a pain in the ass. I’m not going to sugarcoat how difficult it is to run a start up, especially unfunded. If you are thinking about starting […]
Optimizing Your Brand for Image Search
 Picture speaks louder than words  Here’s a screenshot taken on 8/23/2018 for my own name “derek chew” in Google image search.  I captured the first fold of the results page. It contains a total of 36 images; 9 per row. At a glance, there’s a professor with the same name who’s dominating […]
Grit, Growth, and Glory; The Truth Behind A Startup Life
Once in a while, a great story pops up about a startup life and experiencing growth, going on hiring sprees, and closing huge round of funding to fuel expansions. I love reading those stories. I especially enjoy it when it happens to be someone I know! I get excited and cheer for them because it’s […]
The Ultimate Survival Guide for First-Time Start Ups
The stark truth is that 99% of start ups fail, and a fraction of the remaining 1% might be profitable, and that’s being generous. That’s 1 in every 100 startups! Several launch and fail within the same year, while others die a slow death as they spend their newly found VC money on lavish office […]
