How 26 Top Entrepreneurs Can Help your App Businesswww.thechocolatelabapps.com

A Word From ElaineRecently, I got some feedback about one of my weekly Express newsletters:Hi Elaine, Im feeling so inspired by your post that I feel I NEED to take actionnow! Ive sat on my behind for so long, watching many opportunities go by and thinking about it just makes me sick. Im feeling a bit lost and overwhelmed.Ive learned a TON from experts I really admire who run amazing online businesses. Ive collected all their advice together in this blog so you can learn how these 26 Top Entrepreneurs have helped my app business, and can help your startup as well. So without further ado, here are 26 great tips to help you drive growth in your business.Laura RoederWant to grow your business? Stop lying to yourself.

Laura RoederHow many people say they start publishing apps because they feel they are not ready yet? Maybe they think they need more time, more information, or a better opportunity? People can hold off taking the next big step because they believe they are not ready. Laura Roeder disagrees:Heres what I have to say about being ready its a big fat lie! This readiness that youve created for yourself is a losing game with no end in sight. Youll never be ready because its a label you yourself have invented. The faster you can train yourself to get into action without being ready, the more success youll have in your business.Derek HalpernHow to fix Im feeling a bit lost and overwhelmed.

Derek HalpernI do see emails about people feeling paralyzed at the start not knowing what path to take and afraid of making mistakes. Derek Halpern, legendary superstar and CEO of Social Triggers offers some practical advice in this video. Break down your goal into something that is manageable and start immediately.David RisleyUse planning & strategy in your business.

David RisleyThe very notion of being strategic with your content means you must PLAN. If youre not operating by a plan, then it isnt strategic.

Ive started to plan my work more, month by month and also in 3 month blocks. Ive found it really useful to know where my business is going, rather than being blown along by the wind in different directions each day. Setting some time aside once a week to breakdown your weekly tasks can be a very productive venture.

Jay BaerLooking Good Is As Important As Working Well.

Jay BaerMake a great app that looks terrible is a sure fire way to shoot yourself in the foot. People are drawn to beautiful things, and in the app store, there are a lot of beautifully designed apps. Your app can work really well, but it should look a million dollars as well.Another highlight of the event was Expions unveiling of their spiffy new user interface, which they hilariously (and honestly) described as: allowing our customers to marry James Bond, instead of being stuck with Bill Gates.Pat FlynnWhat disease does your website or brand cure?

Pat FlynnPat Flynn of Smartpassiveincome recently posted 24 Questions That Will Challenge You and Your Brand. Question #1 was: What disease does your website or brand cure?Its a perfect question to ask about your new app or game as well. How will your app help people? What issue will it solve, or what benefit will it add to their life? Will it make them smile or feel good, be useful or teach them something? Do you know what problems your target customers have?Chris BroganAnalyze your business stats.

Chris BroganChris Brogan talks about how important it is to analyse your traffic, where there are coming from, and what they are clicking on. The two numerical metrics are number of subscribers and amount of revenue per active subscriber. Thats it.Number of downloads and ARPAU (average revenue per active use) are two really important numbers to start tracking in your app business as well. Chris asks: What stats do you follow for your business? How much of what you run is numerical? What do you do to tweak those numbers?Denise Wakeman Stop spending your time on social media.

Denise WakemanSocial Media was one of my biggest black holes in terms of consuming time I should have been spending on my business. Even for people who use social media for their business, Denise Wakeman advises to spend 30 mins and no more than 1 hour on social media per day.Lewis HowesDo you get enough sleep?

Lewis HowesI love sleep. Honestly. And as CEO of a fairly fast growing startup I can definitely say that getting enough sleep has definitely been an issue at times for me. Its crazy though I thought I will not do my best work when Im tired. Lewis Howes, a former professional football player, two sport All-American and world record holding athlete also agrees with me.Sleep might be the most important aspect of building a great business, and having a high performing body. It is also, one of the most overlooked aspects considering the focus on diet and working out.Kristi HinesStop Wasting Money.

Kristi HinesKristi of kikolani.com underlines the importance of getting the most value from any courses, downloads, books or webinars that you buy or listen to.You want to get the most out of your ebooks and courses, otherwise its like chucking money in the garbage on a regular basis. And who wants to do that!Ramit SethiIts supposed to be hard.

Ramit SethiRamit Sethi wrote a wonderful post recently about how people complain they cant reach their goals, but at the same time do not have any noticeable effort to achieve want they want. I see this in the app business as well. The people who are disheartened are usually the ones who are putting in the least effort.I know dozens of people who claimed they wanted to go to elite universities like Harvard or Stanford, but when the time came, they didnt apply, saying, I could never get in. Guess what? Theyre right. And because they didnt even apply, they didnt deserve to get in!Andrew WarnerHow to start a business with no money.

Andrew WarnerWhen Andrew Warner graduated college he needed some money to start his first company. He was looking at J Crew catalogs and realised if he hadnt spent so much money on clothes he would have had the cash to start his business. But he didnt let that stop him. Read on Andrew WarnerOne time, when I looked at a J Crew catalog, I noticed their return policy on the back cover of their catalog. It boasted that their refund policy didnt have an expiration. Out of curiosity, I called up their customer service number and asked, would you give me a refund for clothes that I WORE.The customer service woman said, Yes. Thats our policy.It seemed too good to be true, so I wanted to make sure. I bought clothes from you throughout college. I wore them. Theyre used. Are you telling me I can return them to you and get a refund check in the mail? Andrew WarnerShe said, Yes. Thats our policy.So I boxed up my clothes and sent them back. Within a few weeks, I got a check. I considered it my grubstake and used it to launch my business. Theres always a way.I would never have come up with that idea, if I hadnt spent years reading about the resourcefulness of other entrepreneurs. Im telling you about my experience because I hope itll spark some creative idea in you. Theres always a way.Tim Ferriss Thing big.

Tim Ferriss No one has to be constrained by what other people believe is normal or is possible / not possible. I dont think many people believed that I could quit my job & starts successful app business. Hell, I didnt really believe it, but that didnt stop me from trying.Jeff WalkerWhy not building a team could be the biggest mistake you can make.

Jeff WalkerThis is a great video. I knew I needed to do this as well but I also had a block for me I was just too busy (sounds daft right?). I now have a strong & growing team and it has definitely helped me to grow my app business. You can check out the full video here.Dane MaxwellShit happens.

Dane MaxwellOne thing Ive learned making apps is while you can do your best to make a great app that people want, sometimes the result you are hoping for doesnt happen. Theres not a lot you can do. Dane Maxwell gives this advice. You let it happen, you roll with it, you understand that its uncertain that shit happens and you adjust along the way.Chris DuckerGet a virtual assistant.

Chris DuckerI hired a VA a few months ago and they have been a tremendous help to my app business. In his podcast Chris Ducker goes though the following useful info for your business.Chris DuckerVishen Lakhiani Be happy RIGHT now.

Vishen Lakhiani While its great to be ambitious and bold, its also dysfunctional to postpone your happiness. Vishen explains how to instantly double your happiness in the following video.Nathalie LussierBusyness doesnt make for good business.

Nathalie LussierNathalie Lassier tells it like it is here. This is a place where I think a lot of appreneurs go wrong.Why did you start a business? It likely wasnt to spend your days feeling busy and stressed out But its really easy for us to fall into the busy trap. Being busy is seductive, it makes us feel like were doing stuff and moving in the right direction.Ramsay TaplinThe barriers to entry are really low.

Ramsay TaplinIn his post 8 Curious Reasons to Start an Online Business and Work From Home Ramsay Taplin underlines how little money you needto start an online businesses.If youve ever been to an economics class youll hear a lot about barriers to entry. They present serious problems for many industries and even entire countries. Think about all the things you have to do if you want to start a physical business like a factory: get capital investment, purchase machines and vehicles, hire staff, get insurance the list goes on. Online businesses, on the other hand, have relatively low barriers to entry.Glen AllsoppWhat themes should I choose for my apps?

Glen AllsoppTrying to figure out what theme will make you the most money in the app store is something that people spend a lot of time trying to figure out. Ive made educated guesses along the way, but the most effective way Ive tried it to bit the bullet, and actually publish a small app with the theme Il interested in. If it goes well, Ill do another. If it doesnt work, Ill forget it and move on. Glen Allsopp of Viperchill recommends a similar strategy to his readers.Glen AllsoppI recommend that you try a little bit of everything (including podcasting, article marketing, posting on forums, etc) and then hone in on the ones that are getting you more of the type of visitor that you want.Cody McKibbenImagine the life you want and then go and get it.

Cody McKibbenA location-independent professionalor a digital nomadis someone who leverages technology to work wherever they wantbe it from home, your favorite coffee shop, on the beach, or even from the other side of the world!Cody McKibben is the founder of thrillingheroics.com and he encourages people to create their own jobs so they can work from anywhere in the world. Apps are a perfect choice to do this, as literally all you need is your laptop, your phone and maybe a iPad. Im going to test this out as Im leaving for Bali at 7am next Monday for 4 weeks of working abroad.Cody McKibbenIts not all about work.

Cody McKibbenI saw this and HAD to include it. Cody has set up a bucket list, published it online and held himself accountable to complete each action on it. I would challenge everyone who reads this blog to write the first 10 items on their bucket list at the end of this post.Chris GuillebeauYou really need to network.

Chris GuillebeauIve just signed up to attend WDS next year in Portland. Why? It looks like a pretty unique event to meet more people who think like I do. One of the best ways to grow my app business, and most rewarding areas of my business, are the great friends I meet through it. And who doesnt need more friends right?Marianne CantwellWhy you shouldnt worry about people stealing your idea.

Marianne CantwellIt was early in my free range life when I met this man. It was at some event (I cant quite remember what) and the sandy haired man in the blue shirt happened to be next to me, so I asked the usual so what are you working on? question, and smiled. He shook his head and said oh Im working on a new idea thats really exciting but I cant tell you about it.Later, while going along the Euston Road in London I noticed some words on the side of the British Library: An original idea. That cant be too hard. The library must be full of them (Stephen Fry).Since then Ive come to realize why good ol Stephen was right (and why people like the guy in the blue shirt are rarely the success stories you read about).Neil PatelWhy mobile is such a big deal!

Neil PatelNeil Patel already knows why mobile is such a big deal.Did you know that 58% of people who own smartphones have used them for store-related shopping? Its no surprise that ecommerce and brick-and-mortar companies are all working hard to bring mobile shopping options to their customers.The real question is: are you leveraging mobile technology?Income DiaryAccentuate the Positive.

Income DiaryIncome diary put together 21 life lessons from Steve Jobs here. Here are 2 I like.Steve started life out on the wrong foot. He was given up for adoption at birth. Tough break? Young Jobs didnt think so: he was thankful for his loving adoptive parents who happened to live in Palo Alto, California (which would eventually become Silicon Valley).Obstacles are meant to be Overcome. Jobs and Wozniak ran out of money while developing the first Apple computer. Instead of giving in, Jobs sold his van and Wozniak sold his graphing calculator. When theres a will, theres a way.James AltucherWhat is the sign of a professional?

James AltucherIn this amazing post James Altucher proves a ton of great advice on how to start and run your business. Here is one of my favourites.What is the sign of a professional? Cutting costs every day. Selling every day, every minute. When you have a billion in revenues, staying focused. When you have zero revenues, staying unfocused and coming up with new ideas every day.www.thechocolatelabapps.comRainHans ZimmerBryan Adams & Hans ZimmerHans ZimmerSpirit - Stallion of the Cimarron (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)19c000f0000002002-01-01T08:00:00Zalanjoseph94@yahoo.com 2002 A&M Records014346712014-03-06 11:05:21---