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#BeRelentless: Week 5 of #NeverSettleClub

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For week 5 of my #NeverSettleClub I’m teaching you how to #BeRelentless and keep pushing beyond the end of the program to turn your passions into profits. This week, I teach you how to set big, meaningful goals for your business, how to create an executive summary about what your business does, and I push you to create a comprehensive 90-day plan to keep your momentum going!

There’s also a huge announcement about how the #NeverSettleClub will continue beyond these initial 5 weeks! You’ll have to watch the video to learn more.

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It’s official says Brian X. Chen, reporting for the NY Times: Apple, ending weeks-long speculation on the deal, says today that they’re buying Beats for $3 billion. While a little bit less than the $3.2 billion I reported back on May 8th, this is still a huge deal for both companies, and Apple’s largest acquisition since they bought NeXT computer, bringing Steve Jobs back to the company he founded, for $400 million in 1997.

With all the speculation coming to an end, it’s time to examine the question many are still asking: Why did Apple buy Beats anyway? Here are my top 5 reasons I think this acquisition makes sense for both companies.

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When I heard Netflix was releasing an original documentary, Mitt, about Mitt Romney’s back-to-back failed campaigns for the presidency in 2008 and 2012, I was certainly intrigued. Now that I’ve seen it, I can say that I didn’t expect to find out that despite his caricatures in the media as a flip-flopper, a Mormon, and a wealthy white male out of touch with much of America, Mitt Romney is a man who, at his core, puts his family, his beliefs, and his spirituality first in a real way. As the credits roll, you can’t help but feel bad for this man whose dreams of the presidency were crushed, not once but twice.

I also didn’t expect the Mitt documentary to be an incredible Apple commercial, and yet it pretty much is.

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With a new year upon us and with newer, faster smartphone models constantly coming out, it’s a good time to start thinking about that next big upgrade. At the same time, there’s something important to keep in mind—when you buy a phone on contract with any carrier, you’re looking at a serious commitment to a single device that you’ll probably be stuck with for a full two years, and if you buy today that means you’ll be stuck with this device until January 2016. That sounds like a long ways off, and in terms of how fast tech progresses it really is!

First look at the LG G Flex, AT&T’s first smartphone with curved glass #CES2014

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Sporting a huge, curved 6″ HD P-OLED screen, the upcoming LG G Flex phones promises to be one of the best smartphones to watch movies on. As smartphones gain larger and larger screens and increasingly creep into tablet territory, one way manufacturers are looking to set their devices apart is by offering the best possible displays, and as a companion to the curved TVs they’ve shown off at CES, which promise a more immersive movie-viewing experience, the curved screen G Flex looks to try and do the same thing in a more pocketable size.

One interesting claim that I can’t wait to test is that the curved screen promises to offer reduces glare from lights and sunlight. When you think about how bad many smartphones look outdoors, this could turn out to be a huge game changer if true.

Keep reading to see the key feature list from the press release. Read More →

#CES2014: Sony Introduces highest megapixel waterproof smartphone, the Xperia Z1S

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Ahead of Sony CEO Kazuo “Kaz” Hirai’s 8:30am PST keynote tomorrow morning, Sony has chosen to pre-announce their first flagship smartphone for 2014, the Xperia Z1S. A follow-up to the waterproof Z we saw at CES last year, the Xperia Z1S promises to be the next big thing from Sony.

Keep reading and check the video!

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Need a last minute gift idea? Still trying to decide on a tablet for a holiday gift? AT&T is offering a $100 instant rebate on any tablet with a new 2 year data agreement. The deal runs through the end of the year, but is only good while supplies last, so it pays not to wait! Go to AT&T’s Premier website for more information and to order.

Black Friday Deals for Small Business: Don’t Wait Till After Thanksgiving

blak friday deals starting early on amazon

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The holiday season is almost here! But what you may not realize is that with Thanksgiving falling so late in November this year, the holiday shopping season has already started, and that’s why you don’t want to wait to take advantage of Black Friday deals that can be helpful for small business.

Generally retailers use the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas to really push deals hard. In the past years we’ve seen more and more focus on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But this year retailers have about one week less between Thanksgiving and Christmas to make their sales, so they’re starting early. There’s a reason it seems like Halloween just happened but Christmas decorations are already up in stores – I’m calling it Thanksmas!

Take Amazon for example. They’ve created a new “deals” promotion they’re calling “Countdown to Black Friday.” Fab.com, one of my favorite online retailers, just held a “Color Week” sale (it’s the opposite of Black Friday, get it?). Many other retailers aren’t calling attention to the Black Friday part, but have already started offering special pricing deals. So if you’ve been waiting till after Thanksgiving to start shopping for tech deals for your small business, don’t wait — start looking now to see if there are deals on tech you’ve been meaning to invest in.

But remember: don’t buy tech just because you see a good price. Make sure it’s something you really need and more importantly have budgeted for! And if you’re not sure whether you need to upgrade now, ask yourself how long you think your current device will last, and whether the holiday “deal” price is worth pulling the trigger a little early: you may find that having the cash now is worth putting up with your device a little longer.

Have questions about buying tech during the holiday season? RSVP for my Holiday Help Desk – I’ll be answering your questions LIVE on December 4th. You can also submit your questions now in case you can’t make the live event: afterwards it will be available to watch whenever you have time!

My Three Tips to Help You Give Better Presentations

mario armstrong's give better presentation tips

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Practice — and technology — makes perfect!

Having the right tools to give great presentations is one huge key to success in the small biz and entrepreneurship world. Getting the right slide deck and presenting it effectively in front of key players in your industry can make a huge difference for your brand AND your business. But not everyone is a natural at giving presentations, and that’s okay — I’ve got some great tips to make it easy!

By applying all three tips below, hopefully you can make the whole process seamless.

1. Practice public speaking.

If you’re having trouble with the actual part where you stand up and give the presentation, that’s okay—a lot of people are uncomfortable with public speaking, even when it’s just in small groups or one-on-one with strangers. But there are tried-and-true methods to get better at it, some of which I’ve covered in a previous article.

how to make sure your small business is geo-located

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You probably already know that making sure your business is discovered by potential consumers is not as simple as being listed in the Yellow Pages and Google anymore. In fact, there are a number of sites and apps that want to be the go-to guide for consumers looking for local businesses. It’s important to make sure you’ve got the right information in the right places to be discovered, and here’s how:

1. Do a Google search

The first thing you need to find out is what happens when you search for your business. So do a search on Google and make sure you can find yourself, because if you can’t do that, there’s no way your potential customers will be able to either. What you’re looking for specifically is the details of how your small business is listed.

Top Story

#BeRelentless: Week 5 of #NeverSettleClub

5 Reasons why Apple (Finally!) Decided to Buy Beats

Netflix’s New Mitt Documentary Is a Fascinating Apple Commercial

Think twice before you buy the iPhone 4s (or any other “free” phone)

First look at the LG G Flex, AT&T’s first smartphone with curved glass #CES2014

#CES2014: Sony Introduces highest megapixel waterproof smartphone, the Xperia Z1S

Get $100 Off Any Tablet From AT&T This Holiday Season

Black Friday Deals for Small Business: Don’t Wait Till After Thanksgiving

My Three Tips to Help You Give Better Presentations

Practice — and technology — makes perfect!

Your Business…Geo-Located! Four Ways For New Customers to Find You Online