Category Archives: Motivational & Opinion

How to become the Captain

Sometimes, people take a long hard look at themselves. They evaluate their goals, failures, and successes and stack themselves against their aspirations and their inspirations. It’s one of the healthiest exercises one can do, after all “know thyself” like Socrates says. When that person is an entrepreneur or business owner, they also take a long hard look at their business, asking themselves similar questions.
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Epsilon Concepts’ CEO Robby Berthume featured on Mixergy.com

Recently Andrew Warner of Mixergy.com interviewed Robby Berthume, CEO of Epsilon Concepts, about his remarkable start a teenage entrepreneur and how to build profitable websites. They discuss the art of talking up your business, the benefits of entrepreneurship vs. school, turning down business to create opportunities, using contests, having a profit-oriented mindset, and starting small.
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Dr. SEOuss

I would not, could not, be on the first page. I could not, would not, and grew enraged. I was not ready to go black hat. I was not ready with a budget so fat. I dreamed of links, conversions, and bots. I dreamed of tags, titles, and slots. How then will my web page now grow? Where then should I for SEO go? CPC, CPM, CRM is Greek. CSS, CPA, B2C is true Geek. Blogging and good content I know I must make. But code validation I am afraid …
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When it Pays to Spend

I admit it, I love shopping. Clothes, shoes, cars, Apple products, the list goes one. And oh yeah, I love memorable experiences, too. You know, visiting family, trying out that new restaurant, watching a movie, hitting up Vegas, hell, take me to Europe if possible. And of course VIP service. After all, who wouldn’t? And just who’s to blame for liking fun products, hip dining, and stellar service? Not me, I say, not me. Not that I always get what I want (if only).
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Drivers & Distracters

I’ve decided that life is pretty simple in ways – it’s made up of “drivers” and “distracters.” In other words, each person has one or more factors driving who they are, what they do, and who they become. On the other hand, people also have one or more factors distracting them from who they are, what they do, and who they become. Drivers and distracters can be held in our subconscience or can be completely conscious decisions. Either way, a large part of the ways in which our lives evolve can be attributed to these two elements.
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Get off your fat ass!

As a 22 year old tech veteran, having started and led a very successful digital agency for going on 9 years now, I am used to a certain reaction when people find out the story behind Epsilon Concepts and my personal adventure in this fast-paced digital world. In a nutshell, I started my first successful company at the age of 14 (not including freelance bitch work, of course, as that started much earlier) and have simply worked hard since then to continue to grow my company and as an individual. Let me give you some background: when I was 14 I was already very entrepreneurial and I also realized at a young age that though money isn’t everything, it certainly helps and provides freedom and leverage. I also thoroughly enjoyed working. I guess I should be more specific: I didn’t really enjoy physical or mental labor in_the_act. I think saying I relished the actual work all the time would be a lie. But I did certainly love the way it made me feel and I loved the relationships that good, hard work helped create. I experienced what it felt like to be able to buy your own things and the sense of freedom and security that money can bring. I felt pride when I tried really hard on a job well done, and felt gratified when it was a thorough, professional project completed.
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Thank the taxpayers…

Inauguration Day didn’t simply usher in the 44th President heralded globally as hope for an Extreme Makeover: USA Edition. Exciting for web heads, the first change this President made, nearly on the dot during the botched oath was The White House official website.  Keep in mind, this is the president who talked about social networking on the campaign trail, embraced Twitter, now posts his weekly address via YouTube, and fought fiercely for his BlackBerry over the last few days.  Needless to stay, we web-heads are eager to hear his choice …
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An Important Note on the Abuse of the Phrase “Social Media Campaign”

Although I have used it before, I detest the word campaign in the phrase “Social Media Campaign”. Conversations trump campaigns and the word “campaign” has a military undertone I’m not comfortable with. The people you’re supposed to be having a conversation with are not enemies to be raped, pillaged & plundered. Although I will continue to use the phrase, it would be nice to find a more accurate way of describing how brands initiate conversations with true fans (see also: Seth Godin’s Tribes) Until that happens, I will continue to …
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Be Yourself

Be Yourself “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” -Confucius “Be yourself” is a pretty cliche statement, but its value cannot be diminished despite the frequency of its use.  Authenticity has been on a lot of minds lately and personality is even a new P in marketing (according to author Rohit Bhargava).  In this new era of the web and with the evolution of the open source paradigm, those with personality, humanity, and authenticity will likely succeed.  The skin of protection and privacy is disappearing, word spreads quicker, and …
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Poetry in Motion

Zidane The Legend 2008 from africa87 on Vimeo (FF to 9:00 mins for the really good stuff).