Marketing online in Hawaii - TechHui2024-03-29T07:24:19Zhttp://www.techhui.com/forum/topics/1702911:Topic:12605?groupUrl=internetmarketing&feed=yes&xn_auth=noThere are so many ways to mak…tag:www.techhui.com,2009-10-20:1702911:Comment:519232009-10-20T18:09:11.623ZPatrick Ahlerhttp://www.techhui.com/profile/PatrickAhler
There are so many ways to make money online it's a bit ridiculous. For tech professionals it should be easy (with a bit of trial and error) to develop quality passive income. I think the hottest way right now is through CPA offers and affiliate programs, using trend data to drive qualified traffic. It's kind of the day trading method of making money online, but with the right affiliate programs the sky is the limit. My very first experience with affiliate marketing earned my $65 for about 10…
There are so many ways to make money online it's a bit ridiculous. For tech professionals it should be easy (with a bit of trial and error) to develop quality passive income. I think the hottest way right now is through CPA offers and affiliate programs, using trend data to drive qualified traffic. It's kind of the day trading method of making money online, but with the right affiliate programs the sky is the limit. My very first experience with affiliate marketing earned my $65 for about 10 minutes of work, and I was just following some online tutorials. That said, I'd encourage you to check out <a href="http://www.superbhosting.net/resellers-affiliates/referrals/overview.php" target="_blank">Superb's affiliate program</a>, I'm helping to design in it a way that we can help publishers earn large residual incomes (residual option to be launched in app. 1 month). If you just have a lot of traffic you'd like to monetize definitely check out <a href="http://www.cj.com/" target="_blank">CJ</a> and <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/" target="_blank">ShareASale</a>. If you have a product you're trying to sell, you may want to consider using these networks more than PPC (lower risk). I'm the CEO of the Internet M…tag:www.techhui.com,2009-04-03:1702911:Comment:380802009-04-03T06:43:26.281ZBob Sommershttp://www.techhui.com/profile/BobSommers
I'm the CEO of the <a href="http://imahawaii.com">Internet Marketing Association of Hawaii</a> and the host of the <a href="http://recognizedexpert.com">Recognized Expert Marketing Show</a> on Maui. My son Josh and I have a few websites where we earn money with affiliate marketing, Google Adsense and we sell a few products of our own.<br />
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We've also created some really cool Internet Marketing videos that we make available for free to show people how to drive traffic to their site through…
I'm the CEO of the <a href="http://imahawaii.com">Internet Marketing Association of Hawaii</a> and the host of the <a href="http://recognizedexpert.com">Recognized Expert Marketing Show</a> on Maui. My son Josh and I have a few websites where we earn money with affiliate marketing, Google Adsense and we sell a few products of our own.<br />
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We've also created some really cool Internet Marketing videos that we make available for free to show people how to drive traffic to their site through <a href="http://www.recognizedexpert.com/traffic/article-marketing/">Article Marketing</a>, <a href="http://www.recognizedexpert.com/blogger/">Blogging</a>, <a href="http://members.takeonthenet.com/land/seo/">SEO</a> and Video Marketing.<br />
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I'm glad to be associated with TechHui My friend Ken from Waialua ha…tag:www.techhui.com,2009-03-03:1702911:Comment:339402009-03-03T01:42:04.162ZJoe Segalhttp://www.techhui.com/profile/JoeSegal
My friend Ken from Waialua has told me about you and your Pizza therapy!!! and ive been to his house for some therapy, yum...
My friend Ken from Waialua has told me about you and your Pizza therapy!!! and ive been to his house for some therapy, yum... If I was you, I would create…tag:www.techhui.com,2009-03-02:1702911:Comment:338872009-03-02T15:33:46.776ZChristian Wilsonhttp://www.techhui.com/profile/ChristianWilson
If I was you, I would create youtube.com videos about pizza and link them to your home page.<br />
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I would target restaurant owners that make pizza and create a monthly or quarterly enewsletter on tips of making better pizzas.<br />
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I would also have a pizza making contest in a mall, or have a hotel sponsor a Pizza contest similar to Turtle Bay's "Battle of the North Shore Shrimp trucks"...<br />
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Chris<br />
SEODock.com
If I was you, I would create youtube.com videos about pizza and link them to your home page.<br />
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I would target restaurant owners that make pizza and create a monthly or quarterly enewsletter on tips of making better pizzas.<br />
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I would also have a pizza making contest in a mall, or have a hotel sponsor a Pizza contest similar to Turtle Bay's "Battle of the North Shore Shrimp trucks"...<br />
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Chris<br />
SEODock.com I have several websites. My f…tag:www.techhui.com,2009-03-02:1702911:Comment:338302009-03-02T07:45:21.260ZAlbert Grandehttp://www.techhui.com/profile/AlbertGrande
I have several websites. My flag ship site is Pizza Therapy <a href="http://pizzatherapy.com">http://pizzatherapy.com</a><br />
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Pizza therapy is all about pizza. I teach people how to make pizza. I also have an extensive listing of the best pizza places in the world. I celebrate pizza. I celebrate anyone who shares that pizza passion.<br />
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I have a few sister sites related to cooking. I also have a Pizza Blog<br />
My website Pizza Therapy has gotten lots of press, both on line and off. I have been featured…
I have several websites. My flag ship site is Pizza Therapy <a href="http://pizzatherapy.com">http://pizzatherapy.com</a><br />
<br />
Pizza therapy is all about pizza. I teach people how to make pizza. I also have an extensive listing of the best pizza places in the world. I celebrate pizza. I celebrate anyone who shares that pizza passion.<br />
<br />
I have a few sister sites related to cooking. I also have a Pizza Blog<br />
My website Pizza Therapy has gotten lots of press, both on line and off. I have been featured in three pizza books and several national publications. Pizza Therapy has also been featured on televison, radio and newspapers.<br />
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I do make money on the Internet however, I am not at the level I would like to be.<br />
I am interested in doing tele-seminars.<br />
I have done several with master pizzaiolo called the Legends of Pizza series. Through Pizza Therapy, I have developed friendships with several movers in pizzaland.<br />
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This is kind of funny because I live here in Hawaii and as you know, there is a shortage of great pizza, here.<br />
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I have the skill of being able to interview people and I want to do more tele-seminars in other niches. This is the direction I would like to go into. I see myself doing more and more tele-seminars. I plan on continuing to create information products from these interviews.<br />
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I have several Hawaii themed sites and a blog. I also have a few niche based sites.<br />
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I am interested in learning as much as I can about Internet Marketing. I am happy to share anything I know.<br />
My mission is to help others become successful. I believe in the law of reciprocity.<br />
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I am also interested in list building. I think that is a key aspect about the Internet that many people who have websites don't get. I helped start a website call…tag:www.techhui.com,2008-06-01:1702911:Comment:147032008-06-01T05:43:25.002ZChristian Wilsonhttp://www.techhui.com/profile/ChristianWilson
I helped start a website called <a href="http://BrazilBotanicals.com">http://BrazilBotanicals.com</a> 2 months ago. We average about $500 a day now, out goal is $1k a day by the end of the year. I also helped developed 2 other Hawaii sites that now make 4-5 figures per day. I started doing SEO about a decade ago in Hawaii. I think the only way to make a site profitable is to keep testing ideas.
I helped start a website called <a href="http://BrazilBotanicals.com">http://BrazilBotanicals.com</a> 2 months ago. We average about $500 a day now, out goal is $1k a day by the end of the year. I also helped developed 2 other Hawaii sites that now make 4-5 figures per day. I started doing SEO about a decade ago in Hawaii. I think the only way to make a site profitable is to keep testing ideas. Hi John,
Basically, DHH's po…tag:www.techhui.com,2008-04-28:1702911:Comment:128312008-04-28T05:09:20.368ZDaniel Leuckhttp://www.techhui.com/profile/dleuck
Hi John,<br />
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<i>Basically, DHH's point is that you can start small, focus on a niche, make a few million dollars, live well and not worry about VCs or trying for a super high risk, high reward exit.</i><br />
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Hansson's enthusiastic self appreciation can get a bit nauseating, but he makes some excellent points :-) I agree that now more than ever, its possible to create a successful SaaS company without taking venture capital. This isn't true for all SaaS ideas, but quite a few can be built entirely by a…
Hi John,<br />
<br />
<i>Basically, DHH's point is that you can start small, focus on a niche, make a few million dollars, live well and not worry about VCs or trying for a super high risk, high reward exit.</i><br />
<br />
Hansson's enthusiastic self appreciation can get a bit nauseating, but he makes some excellent points :-) I agree that now more than ever, its possible to create a successful SaaS company without taking venture capital. This isn't true for all SaaS ideas, but quite a few can be built entirely by a couple of highly motivated individuals working from home.<br />
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<i>1. Moving to the mainland (it seems more of Sprout is going to SF?)</i><br />
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I have to be careful here, but I will say Sprout has more people in Manoa than SF, and the company is always interested in hiring top notch local talent in needed areas (as is Ikayzo.) There are obvious advantages to having an SF location. Sprout has a fantastic team in both locations. Unlike a lot of other Hawaii startups, Carnet plays up the Hawaii connection at trade events and conferences. He is all about promoting Hawaii's tech sector.<br />
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Given the complexity of what Sprout is doing from both a technical and business perspective, I'm not sure it could have been done start to finish with a couple of guys in a garage. The amount of funding required really depends on the idea.<br />
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<i>I think that fostering a sizable pool of smaller companies needing less money is probably a good way to develop a more sustainable foundation.</i><br />
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I absolutely agree. Taking VC money shouldn't be the default decision for launching an SaaS startup. Hawaii would certainly benefit from a larger pool of lean and mean SaaS startups funded by a few founders or via a Y-Combinator type model.<br />
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Best,<br />
Dan Hi Dan,
That is true. Sprout…tag:www.techhui.com,2008-04-28:1702911:Comment:128292008-04-28T03:31:47.703ZJohnhttp://www.techhui.com/profile/John
Hi Dan,<br />
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That is true. Sprout and ilovephotos are two obvious examples. I was not specific enough with my earlier comment. It's not just SAAS that's interesting to me for Hawaii but low startup cost SAAS companies. I am not sure how many of you saw DHH's <a href="http://omnisio.com/startupschool08/david-heinemeier-hansson-at-startup-school-08">talk at Startup School</a> last week, but it was exactly on this topic and well worth watching.<br />
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Basically, DHH's point is that you can start small,…
Hi Dan,<br />
<br />
That is true. Sprout and ilovephotos are two obvious examples. I was not specific enough with my earlier comment. It's not just SAAS that's interesting to me for Hawaii but low startup cost SAAS companies. I am not sure how many of you saw DHH's <a href="http://omnisio.com/startupschool08/david-heinemeier-hansson-at-startup-school-08">talk at Startup School</a> last week, but it was exactly on this topic and well worth watching.<br />
<br />
Basically, DHH's point is that you can start small, focus on a niche, make a few million dollars, live well and not worry about VCs or trying for a super high risk, high reward exit.<br />
<br />
<br />
Because sprout and ilovephotos have already burned a million each and probably on the way to burning a few more until they hit an exit or profitability, even though it's SAAS it has some of the same problems and risks as traditional software plays. Especially for Hawaii, these includes:<br />
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1. Moving to the mainland (it seems more of Sprout is going to SF?) because you are so big that you need more talent and resources than Hawaii can provide (it seems that was one of the factors but I don't have any internal information).<br />
2. Needing a fairly big exit. I assume that Sprout's investors want a $20 - $30 million purchase price for an acquisition (using 10x as a rule of thumb). I think they might get it simply because a big player may see their product as 'strategic'. However, it gets more risky with greater funding needs, because if you don't get the acquisition and need to fund your way to profitability, you may not be able to get the millions you need to continue to run.<br />
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I don't enough about the hawaii tech community but given the continuing decreases in the cost of starting companies, I think that fostering a sizable pool of smaller companies needing less money is probably a good way to develop a more sustainable foundation. A few companies requiring a lot of investment can be exciting but may less appropriate for our needs and abilities.<br />
<br />
Best,<br />
<br />
John Even this site and for exampl…tag:www.techhui.com,2008-04-28:1702911:Comment:128252008-04-28T01:26:01.919ZDaniel Leuckhttp://www.techhui.com/profile/dleuck
<i>Even this site and for example, Oahure, no one is going to make serious money off of ads or selling subscriptions but if you can get a clients, projects, jobs, etc, that brick and mortar element makes it successful.</i><br />
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Exactly. Our intent was never to make money from TechHui. Its a community site intended to facilitate communication and networking. TechHui has brought Ikayzo and others good local leads and biz dev opportunities, which is great. Almost all our customers used to be in NY and…
<i>Even this site and for example, Oahure, no one is going to make serious money off of ads or selling subscriptions but if you can get a clients, projects, jobs, etc, that brick and mortar element makes it successful.</i><br />
<br />
Exactly. Our intent was never to make money from TechHui. Its a community site intended to facilitate communication and networking. TechHui has brought Ikayzo and others good local leads and biz dev opportunities, which is great. Almost all our customers used to be in NY and Tokyo. Now we have some really interesting local customers.<br />
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<i>One thing I am surprised is that Hawaii's tech leaders don't seem very excited about SaaS as a vehicle for economic growth in the state (or at least I have not heard it). Truman is one of the very few people I have heard about using a SaaS model in Hawaii.</i><br />
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There are actually quite a few local companies providing application services. As you mentioned, <a href="http://www.ascribedata.com/">Ascribe</a> is definitely an interesting company with a lot of potential. I'm sure <a href="http://www.techhui.com/profile/TrumanLeung">Truman</a>'s work ethic and ingenuity will take him far. <a href="http://www.techhui.com/profile/HenkRogers">Henk</a> has several web apps in the works. Another local company to watch is <a href="http://sproutbuilder.com/">Sprout</a>. I've <a href="http://www.techhui.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1702911%3ABlogPost%3A7122">written about them</a> a few times. I also created a <a href="http://www.techhui.com/group/webdesigners/forum/topic/show?id=1702911%3ATopic%3A11361">TechHui Sprout</a>. Sprout's booth at the Web 2.0 Expo last week was easily the busiest on the floor.<br />
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In the interest of full disclosure, Sprout is a customer of Ikayzo and I recently took a position with them as well.<br />
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Finally, one of the large local packaged software companies is about to do a big SaaS push. You will hear about them soon. Today hosting is not a barrie…tag:www.techhui.com,2008-04-24:1702911:Comment:126692008-04-24T19:34:51.355ZTruman Leunghttp://www.techhui.com/profile/TrumanLeung
Today hosting is not a barrier to entry in SaaS. You can get free hosting with <a href="http://code.google.com/appengine/">Google App Engine</a>. Or you could use <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html?node=16427261">Amazon Web Services</a> to host both your database, files and even virtual servers. I haven't found any host locally that can provide what I need at a cost I can afford. Currently I have a host in <a href="http://www.servint.net/">Virginia</a>.<br />
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One great benefit of being…
Today hosting is not a barrier to entry in SaaS. You can get free hosting with <a href="http://code.google.com/appengine/">Google App Engine</a>. Or you could use <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html?node=16427261">Amazon Web Services</a> to host both your database, files and even virtual servers. I haven't found any host locally that can provide what I need at a cost I can afford. Currently I have a host in <a href="http://www.servint.net/">Virginia</a>.<br />
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One great benefit of being located in Hawaii is that any income earned from intellectual property is <b><a href="http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol04_Ch0201-0257/HRS0235/HRS_0235-0007_0003.htm">tax free in Hawaii</a></b>.<br />
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I'm with John on this one. Why aren't more people doing SaaS in Hawaii? All you need to do is generate the software ... which can be done from anywhere. Online customer service can be done from anywhere.<br />
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My guess is that Hawaii lacks a critical mass of Internet entrepreneurs and developers to develop a thriving community that would serve as a ripe environment for Internet startups. I just watched a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_Earth_(TV_series)#9._.22Shallow_Seas.22">Planet Earth episode</a> last night about coral reefs in Indonesia. These reefs boast a 10 times the number of species that in all of the Carribean. One reason for the abundance marine life and diversity of species is that the reefs there are a meeting place for two oceans: the Indian and Pacific oceans. If we can build the Internet/tech community in Honolulu through social networks like TechHui and perhaps sponsor conferences that get more tech people to visit Hawaii, I think we can develop an environment that will foster more Internet startups in Hawaii.