Today we interview Robert Adelman who launched several projects, his newest project is GetSocked.
What inspired you to start this business?
I have a passion for socks, I feel bright, funky socks can make you and others around you feel happy, with my experience in running and selling an SEO company I had the skills and business acumen to launch and market a new business.
What are the best and worst parts of running your business?
Best: Being your own boss. Worst: Being your own boss. – What I mean by this is it is nice I don’t have anyone to answer too, if I need to do it I just do it, I don’t need approval, however being fast at making changes can cause issues such as rushing and really not understanding the full issue and if the solution I offer is actually the best solution. However after running my own businesses for nearly 10 years I am finally getting good at this.
Does your business generate enough money to support you?
This is a new venture so at the moment no as all profits are pumped back into the business however things are looking encouraging. However I do have my other 2 businesses that are generating income for me.
Which resources to run your business do you use most?
I use a variety, it really depends on what façade of the business I am trying to work on. I recently joined Harvard Business Review and their articles are amazing, I do read a few business books and I particularly like the author Alan Weiss.
What keeps you motivated to keep working on your business?
Family, strive to succeed and failure isn’t an option.
What would you recommend a new entrepreneur? How to get started?
Just do it and worry about the details later. Many people will say you are stupid or bad idea but these people are the very reason we have entrepreneurs.
How important do you think is talent when starting a business?
Hiring people with good social skills is far more important than hiring someone with work skills. I can teach a pleasant and respectful person anything, I can’t teach a stuck up brat who knows it all anything.
How much time do you spend running your business per day?
As little as possible which unfortunately means approx. 10-12 hours per day and the time I am not spent on the business is spent thinking about the business.
What is your single best non-obvious tip for running a business?
Follow your gut! If the gut says no then it is no!
What would you recommend to generate traffic to the website? Have you tried SEO companies?
Being a self labelled SEO expert, I know how important SEO is, but at the end of the day if your product is crap then by having good SEO you are only showing more people that your product is crap. Let’s assume your product is good, then it should self itself, referrals are always the best way to generate more traffic. However for GetSocked.com.au I am focusing more on targeted Facebook advertising and this is working remarkably well for little cost. SEO is hit and miss and isn’t guaranteed. Regardless of what you use to generate traffic it should be considered an aid and not a magic bullet.
How did you come up with the name of the company?
For GetSocked I gave a very dear friend of mine Sean Marsh from QuarshCreative 2 hours to come up with a name! He nailed it!
How do you stay productive and not get distracted?
I use my calendar in Outlook, if you look at my calendar I will have approx. 40 things to do for every single day and then I adjust as needed and when needed. I also use Evernote on all my devices so I can always have access to all my info.
Do you think that Social Media such as Twitter or Facebook are good marketing tools?
Yes providing you understand your target market.
Do you think making decisions on a gut feeling is a good idea?
ABSOLUTELY, a lot of the time it has been the deciding factor if I hire someone, take on a client etc.
Where is the best place to find freelancers?
Upwork can be good but you really need to know what you are after and spell it out. Sorry mum but I always have the mum test, which is if write something on a piece of paper and my mum understands it then it passes the test.
If you are interested in Robert’s project here’s the URL GetSocked.com.au.