Sharing a Life and A Business: Meet Kyeli and Pace, Owners of Freak Revolution10/23/2009 10:49:00 AMLespreneur Magazine (LM): 
Tell us about your business.
Kyeli and Pace (KP):
We just started the Freak Revolution. It's as exciting as it sounds! (: We're creating a group of alternative people to both build solid, safe community and create change out in the world. We see this as a four-step process: first, focus on yourself. Second, focus on your relationships. Third, focus on your community. Forth, focus on the world. Our personal contributions to the community are awesomeification (step one), relationship and communication coaching (steps two and three), and leading the revolution (step four).
LM:
How long have you been in business?
KP:
We started our first business, The Usual Error Project, in 2006, after
giving an off-the-cuff workshop on communication at Poly Big Fun, a
polyamorous convention here in Texas. We got so many compliments on our presentation, we made it a side business! The Freak Revolution is where we were headed all along, even before we knew it, but The Usual Error Project is where we started.
LM:
Do you work your businesses full time or part time?
KP:
In between. Pace works at a super-geeky day job in the mornings, and we revolutionize in the afternoons and evenings. We're putting in
long hours, though, so it's more than part-time.
LM:
Both relationships and running a business takes a lot of work, how
do you manage both? How do you keep your personal and business lives separate?
KP:
We don't keep them separate. We tried and failed, so we decided to
munge it all together. It takes a massive amount of communication and
patience and, above all, love for ourselves, each other, and our
business. Fortunately, we've got all of that - and we're experts at
relationships and communication, so we've got an advantage.
LM:
Are you both involved in managing all aspects of the company or
have you split the duties; for example, does one take care of the
accounting and another the marketing?
KP:
We actually just split our duties. We were both in charge of
everything, and it created so much conflict we were having trouble
getting anything done - and having trouble relating to each other when
we weren't working. No good. So, we divided things such: Kyeli is
in charge of all content, logistics, mailing list, blog, and community
issues. Pace is in charge of site design, forum design, marketing,
copy-writing, and money. We split it up by writing down everything
the business needs to function, and each choosing what we're most
attached to and what we most enjoy. So far, it's working wonders -
the arguing has entirely stopped and everything is flowing much more
smoothly.
LM:
How do you get the word out about your business? Do you belong to
any GLBT networking groups?
KP:
We currently get the word out through social media and permission
marketing. We blog, we're on Twitter, we talk with people we meet, we
rub elbows with influential people, we make lots of friends. We don't
belong to any networking groups right now.
LM:
Have you found any decrease in business due to the economy? If so,
how have you handled it?
KP:
We haven't really been affected. We learned that a dip in the economy
makes it all the better a time to be your own boss.
LM:
So, what's next? What's does the future hold for your business?
KP:
We'll keep building our community, growing our numbers. We'll soon
have a forum for our members, to help us build connections and to grow closer together. We'll have community projects to help us learn to
work together to accomplish goals.
LM:
What advice do you have for your fellow lespreneurs?
KP:
Don't hesitate. As the wonderful Seth Godin says, "Fire, aim aim
aim!" We've found that doing it is the only way to see if it works,
and if you fail - great! You've learned what doesn't work! (:
LM:
If anyone wants additional information or to learn more about you,
how would they contact you?
KP:
Pace is at pace@freakrevolution.com and on Twitter as @PaceSmith.
Kyeli is at kyeli@freakrevolution.com and on Twitter as @Kyeli. Our
website, especially the blog, is a great way to get a look inside our
minds: www.freakrevolution.com/blog.
Thank you so much to Kyeli and Pace for taking the time to talk with us. If you haven't already done so, check them out at
www.freakrevolution.com and pick up a copy of their new audio book, "The Usual Error". Learn more about this awesome new audio book visit
http://freakrevolution.com/blog.
Starting a New Business for Less Than $2503/29/2009 6:42:00 PMStarting a business for less than $250 is certainly doable, if you know what you are doing. In addition, I recommend any business owner to keep fixed costs as low as possible (that is your recurring monthly expenditures, i.e., rent, utilities, etc..). If your fixed costs are too high, you may not be able to weather down turns in your business which is the reason why so many businesses are closing their doors.
I am going to assume that if you are reading this, you have a computer. All business need a working computer with an internet connection, that is a given. This is a must for any small business.
A service business are usually the best to start on a dime. Why? Because with a service business, you don’t have any inventory or any goods to stock or purchase wholesale. Plus, with a physical product you may have to deal with patents, product insurance, costs of transporting and storage, etc…
So, here are a 3 main factors in starting a great business on a small budget:
1. Go with what you know. Intellecual capital is Queen! If you have a certain expertise, you can monetize it by sharing your knowledge to others who need it.
2. The days of the linear relationship between work and pay is over! Meaning, going to work for one hour to receive one hour worth of pay is an archaic way of making money. What you want to do is leverage that same hour of work and have one hour of work keep paying for itself over and over again. It’s the power of leverage! Let me put this is simple terms. Say a nail tech see’s 3 clients an hour and makes about $70. There is only but so much time in a day and only but so many people she can see. So her income, by default is limited. But, if that same nail tech taugh others how to break into the business and provided her intellectual capital (see point #1) to help others succeed then she can experience the power of leverage. How? Well, she could author an ebook that explains how to break into the beauty industry, she could hold seminars and workshops, she could become a consultant or coach. Really,the sky is the limit! I could go on and on with this one.
3. What do people contact you for? There is something that people always ask you about or seek your advice on. Clearly, this is something you possibly have a competitive advantage on. Make a list of your best attributes and weaknesses and seek a business that leans on your best points and seek strategic partnerships to enhance your weaknesses.
Okay, so now that your wheels are turning on what type of business to start. Let’s get to the really good stuff. Minimizing start up costs and starting your biz for less than $250.
Click here to read the full article.