UPDATE: WE HAVE A WINNER!!!! Shopify’s Build a Business competition is OVER and THE WINNER IS… Kevin Mack of Tatsup! For more information on Kevin and Tatsup, head to Shopify’s blog post announcement. Needless to say, I’m stoked to be able to be able to bring him to NYC, slap a chunk of change into his hand, and give him my advice every step of the way (or for as long as he wants it ;))
Thanks to all the competitors who entered and make sure to congratulate the rest of the winners and I’ll be sure to keep you updated on how Kevin’s mentorship with me goes and how he grows his business with the help he’ll be getting from me & Shopify. ShoutOut to Shopify for helping make this happen.
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We are living in the Age of the Artist. Never before in history has it been this easy for creatives to create, for artists to make their art. Yet still the masses are filled with those who postpone their artistic dreams. I say the worst thing you can do is postpone.
But some people just need a bigger carrot. So I went hunting and found a prize for you. Actually, I teamed up with my friends at Shopify and am offering YOU a chance at a check for $50,000 and my promise to be your mentor for life (or until you kick me out). Yes. This actually means we will be friends.
If you’re late to the party, here’s how to enter [in 3 easy steps]:
1. Go to the Shopify Build a Business page
2. Choose your category (I’m mentoring in the Art & Photography category, but choose what suits your artistic dream)
3. Start selling and kick your business into gear.
I figure the end game can only be 1 of 2 options:
1. You win the contest, $50,000 and a mentor for life; OR
2. You don’t win, but you’ve built that business you’ve always dreamed of, and it’s now a REAL THING that makes you money and channels all that creativity you never knew (or perhaps always knew?) you had.
If ever there was a win-win scenario, this is it.
So you’re not into Art & Photography? Fine – I don’t care. I means just as much to me that you follow your dreams. Read on, because Shopify certainly has your interest category covered. Maybe you’re into Music, Electronics & Gadgets, Jewelry & Crafts, Health & Beauty, Food & Beverage, Fashion & Apparel, or Sports & Recreation. Any of those ring some bells?
Your full mentor list to choose from depending on the above category.
// Lil Jon (hip hop legend)
// Tim Ferris (4 hour everything)
// Tina Eisenberg (aka swissmiss)
// Selita Ebanks (model & health star)
// Gary Vaynerchuk (wine & food guru)
// Damond John (founder of FUBU – star of shark tank)
// Mark Cuban (billionaire entrepreneur/owner of Dallas Mavericks
// Arianna Huffington (media maven)
// and yours truly
Here’s how you win:
If you start a business with Shopify and have the most sales in your category over a particular window between NOW and MAY 2014, then you win. Pretty simple. The longer, more detailed version of all that is here on the Shopfiy site. There is plenty of time to kick ass and sell your heart out, but the time to start is NOW. Oh ya…if you win, I’ll fly you back to NYC and had you the 50 GRAND myself.
Hi Chase,
Just watched this video for the second time. It got me even more excited to be a part of this Build a Business Contest and work very hard to try to win this contest. A few months ago a friend and I had a coffee and discussed how tricky it is to buy good photo prints of Action Sports (skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding) to hang on your home or office wall. We decided to enter the Shopify contest and launch an online store, selling high quality photo prints of our photographer friends in this field.
Our site launched 2 months ago on Cyber Monday, December 2nd, and we’ve learned so much. We’ve already had customers buying our photo prints from all over the world, from the US and Canada, all the way to the UK, Spain, Dubai, Singapore, Australia and Brazil.
We’re now working on a group art show with 20 photographer friends in Long Beach, CA on March 6th. If you’re around, come by for a beer!
Cheers,
Floris Gierman
http://www.aikacollective.com
http://www.flotography.com
This video alone is hugely motivational – I have to share it with others. Thank you Chase!
I just read through the terms, unfortunately Germany is not included in the list of Countries from where people can enter . : – ( … maybe next time…
btw: Great performance as Kai Man Wang on Digitalrev, what a show!
Great motivation to get out and shoot. But as a high school student i don’t have the resources to maintain and package my final product sadly. Chase, do you have any advice for making the transition of photography as a hobby to photography as a career? (assuming you see this comment)
I’d love to hear from some wedding and/or portrait photographers who have setup shops on Spotify, how do you sell your images and services?