Entrepreneur Diaries – Apple Keynote Reactions

Yesterday, Apple hosted their annual event at the Steve Jobs Theatre and announced some new upgrades to their iPhone and Apple Watch. While I live Tweeted some of the event and the things I’m personally excited for, what I was really hoping for an iPad upgrade. But, I digress. Let’s talk about the new things coming to the iPhone and Apple Watch that I personally think are worth talking about.

The Apple Watch Series 4 comes with a hardware upgrade inside and out, allowing us to have more screen and more power on our wrist. We all kinda watch these Keynotes to see how much updated hardware they can fit into our devices right? So a hardware upgrade is to be expected. Quite honestly, I do love my Apple Watch I admittedly don’t use it enough. I used to use it all the time cuz I was more active. I used to walk 3 miles a day, work out 4 times a week, but not so much since we opened the new location. While I’m not rushing to the store to buy a series 4, my hope is more compatibility and apps available for the Apple Watch. I’d love to see ways we can make our watches part of our productivity workflow!

Ok, now let’s get to the meat and potatoes – the iPhone XS.

First, let’s talk about the name. IDK what’s wrong with me but to say “iPhone ten x-max” is a tongue twister! I even misspelled it while typing just now lol!! Just me?!

So as expected, this puppy gets a new hardware upgrade. Biggest upgrade – 2 sizes. A 5.8″ and 6.5″ Super Retina OLED Display to choose from. I won’t bog you down with the tiny details, you can go to the Apple website for that.

Source: apple.com

The things I’m most excited for? In no particular order…

  1. Better water resistance. Up to 2 meters for 30 minutes.
  2. Better photo. Once again, I won’t bore you with the details.  Feel free to read those specs on the Apple website. I’m excited for better bokeh, better low light photos, and Smart HDR. I mean, we’ll have to see how much better it is, especially compared to the iPhone’s competitors but I’m sure it’ll be better than what I’ve got.
  3. But the thing I’m excited for the most? Better video quality. I use my iPhone as my main camera for both my blog and YouTube channel so this is a really important one for me. I’m trying to get better and dip my toe deeper into video. Since I don’t have the budget for a high quality camera, my phone’s going to have to upgrade. Big time.

So, the ultimate question. Which one am I getting – the XS, XS Max, or XR? I’m going to probably go with the XS. I can’t make any promises, but for me the determining factor was the size of the phone. Since I have such small hands I don’t need size, I need portability. Which one are you getting?

xoxo,

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Entrepreneur Panel Recap – Branding and Target Market

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to participate in a panel of fellow entrepreneurs in the food industry. It was hosted by the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles and they hosted a great event! They had prepared so much valuable information ready for their guests.


I’ve been invited to more of these events recently and I really do love being part of them for 2 main reasons. One, because I believe in the idea of sharing. Sharing experiences and lessons to help others without any expectation of a return is something I’m extremely passionate about. Second, I learn so much from these events too. It’s easy to think that you know everything there is to know, but once you realize that as humans we should never stop learning these types of events become a great opportunity not just for your audience but for you as well.

There were a couple key things that I wanted to share that I observed and took away from that event. I actually touched on this in one of my podcast episodes. But before I do that let me lay the land a bit and set the scene for you. When I walked in I checked in and met the point of contact for the event, Lois. Everyone was very welcoming and it was being hosted at a meeting room in a Van Nuys civic building and there were seats for about 60ish people. My fellow panelists were around a similar age group and upbringing as me, and our audience was mostly older. I share this because it has significance in my observation, not to be an asshole lol! More on that in a second.

During the event, there was a lot of talk about how businesses should appeal to Millennials as they (we) are becoming the largest consumer group. A lot of the questions the audience were how businesses could appeal to that generation. I think all of us panelists were in agreement that what should be more important is that businesses should understand and know who their target market is, and communicate to them in a way that is genuine and adds value to their lives. But one thing that wasn’t said is something I think is important to point out:

If Millennials aren’t your target market, you don’t need to change it.

What should be the focus of any business should be to speak to their target market, whether that’s Millennials, Baby Boomers, or a segment thereof. Changing your target market because of majority will not do anything for your business. Identifying who can best use your product or service will drive the most results.

Ok, now that it’s out there another thing I wanted to bring up that was also discussed at the panel was branding. I think that branding and target market are directly related and it’s something that people have a hard time wrapping their head around.

I came from a marketing and graphic design background, and I’ve observed that in the time that I’ve learned what a “brand” was its definition and way to share it has changed. In the past, people have associated brands with big companies like Nike or Target. The way we thought about marketing has changed drastically in the last 15 years and because of this the idea of brands have changed. A small business can have a brand, an individual can have a brand. The way we communicate as a brand has now changed. What used to be for large corporations is now very applicable to anyone and everyone.

The thing that large corporations like Nike and Target got right was they knew who would be shopping and they focused on that. As small businesses trying to make a living for ourselves a common misconception is that everyone is a customer. This is completely false, and I can’t stress this more.

Now that social media has become a big part of our marketing plans, smaller businesses have more potential and reach than ever! I think this forced the idea of brands forming on a smaller scale, giving us little guys the potential for things that we might have never thought possible.

Which brings me back to the generational gap statement that I made earlier. I’ve observed that most people that ask me this question are more seasoned, older entrepreneurs. When my family first started our restaurant in 2008 there was a lot of transition happening. My family just wanted customers, they wanted sales but didn’t know how to get them. They tried to appeal to everyone and tried to do everything. But that was the biggest mistake.

When I came to Ninong’s full time I made a decision to rebrand and create our ideal customer. I know their age, where they shop, how much they make, where they work, where they spend their spare time, etc. When I did this, the puzzle pieces started falling into place and our business began to gain traction.

Once I saw that identifying my target audience was working I took it a step further. I envisioned what my customer would want to see and slowly but surely (because of budget restrictions) improve to create that experience that I know they would enjoy. To this day, I continue to strive to better that experience as I learn and grow.

This is something that I want entrepreneurs, old an young to know. I think the hardest thing for people to realize is that the more specific you are the more success you will start to see. The more your hone in the more customers you’ll get because you’re communicating to those in need. I know it’s almost illogical to think that way, but trust me! Focus on your target market, whoever that may be, and you’ll see the change.

xoxo,

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My Current Workflow Tools and What I use Them For

It’s been quite a while since I’ve been working on a workflow that works just right for my life. As an entrepreneur life gets really hectic at times and difficult to keep organized. But aside from being a business owner, life is so hectic in itself! I think I’ve found my system of keeping my personal and professional life as organized as possible, but it took a lot of trial and error to get here. No one told me that it took organization and time to actually be organized. Go figure!
 
 
First thing’s first – what is a workflow? Technically, workflow is defined as the sequence of industrial, administrative, or other processes through which a piece of work passes from initiation to completion. As an entrepreneur, creating a workflow is sometimes really overwhelming. You don’t know what works, you don’t know how to get started, and you don’t know what you need.
 
I downloaded a lot of apps over the years to try and test out different platforms. Tools like apps, notebooks, and planners are all a matter of preference. What might work for me might not work for you so it’s important to test things out, give it time, and then evaluate how it fits in with your needs. You’re not going to know within a day or a week whether something works for you. You’re going to need patience with each tool.
 
I didn’t realize how much investment it takes to get a productivity tool to work for you. I always just figured that once I download the app or open the planner it would just be “plug and play.” But I was so off base! It takes time to figure it out, make it work, and tweak it based on your needs. Because of the intense time investment I made in my current workflow I’m always hesitant to stray away from my current tools. It has taken me over 2 years to get it just right so if I do change something in my workflow, that must mean it was well worth it!
 
So here’s my current workflow and what I use each thing for. I’ll create a post on each tool so I can go more in depth in a separate post to share how I use these items. Stay tuned for those!
 
  1. iCal for time blocking, events, and meetings.
  2. Evernote for in depth weekly planning, writing blog posts, travel planning, long term projects, and note taking. If you’re interested in my initial set up you can watch my YouTube video here, but I actually need to update the vid. I made a few tweaks. Stay tuned for that! You can also see how I use it for travel planning here.
  3. Todoist for daily tasks and reminders. I have a YouTube video on my set up, you can view it here.
  4. Goodnotes for brain dumping, digital planner, and bible study.
  5. Trello for Blog Scheduling. Trello has been my most recent addition to the work flow. I posted about my current set up this past week, you can read it here
  6. Apple Mail for email. This one doesn’t need much explanation except for 2 things. One, I archive my inbox every week that way it’s at zero when the new work week starts. Having messages (read or unread) in my inbox has always given me anxiety. Two, if it’s an email that needs to be saved like a flight confirmation I’ll forward it to my Evernote inbox using my Evernote account email. This will send that email to my default notebook. Comes in really handy!
Yes, I use and open each app almost every day. Definitely every work day. Not only that but I have each app on my iPhone and iPad so I have it at my fingertips if I’m not in the office. First thing I do when I get into work is open up all my apps and plan my day. I’ll start with I’m thinking about doing a video on how I make it all work so if you’re interested in that let me know.
 
I know this may be a lot for some, but quite honestly it’s because each thing has its own function in my life. I’ve tried countless times to just use 1 app or just use a planner but I can’t make it work for what I need and want it to do. Hence, my 6 different apps lol!
 
If you have any apps or services that you suggest please share! I have this tendency to always want the best out there when it comes to productivity.
 
xoxo,
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