Well, I have been an entrepreneur for about six years and a profitable one for the last three.  More specifically though I have been promoting online poker for approximately two and a half years.

2. What made you decide to go into business for yourself?

I have my bachelors degree in business management and I have worked within a few Fortune 500 companies, but after a while I started feeling limited by Corporate America.  Not that I didn't have the opportunity to advance in these corporations, but I had my own ideas and wanted the freedom of running my own business.

3. What background, experience did you have that applied to this business?

As I mentioned earlier I do have a bachelors degree in business management that I believe has helped me tremendously.  As an entrepreneur though there are a few qualities that are a necessity.  The first one is the willingness to fail.  It may sound crazy because I have achieved some great professional and financial successes, but I have failed at more things than I have been successful at.  Second you have to be willing to take calculated risks and put 110% effort into a project, idea, or concept if you have conviction in it.

To anyone thinking of starting their own business, make sure you are going into a business where you have a genuine interest.  I have a passion and a love for poker as well as internet marketing.  So for me, becoming a poker affiliate or online poker promoter just came natural.  There are not many people that can wake up every day and say that they truly love their job.  The one thing I dislike is accounting and paperwork.........okay I hate that aspect of running a business.  To get past that however I hired an accountant and payroll management company to take care of the numbers so I can focus on marketing.

Oh my gosh yes, I am by no means Donald Trump but I live very comfortably.  The funny thing about money is that the more you make, the more you spend, and the more money you try to make.  Even more importantly however than money is that owning my own business has allowed me time with my family.  This is one thing that I did not have in Corporate America.  But to get back to the initial question, I still do have goals that I want to accomplish in both my professional and personal life.  Although I am currently satisfied, I don't ever want to get complacent in my business.  With an internet business you can be at the top one year and fall right down to the bottom the next.

6. Has your business had the support of your family?

Yes and No.  Unlike me, my wife is not a risk taker.  She would rather me work a $60K a year job from 8-5 every day and bring home a check every other Friday.  Me on the other hand, I have no problem spending $10K on an idea if I believe it will give me an ample return.  Make no mistake, you have to spend money to make money.  With regards to the hours, my family does like me being around more during the day and evenings.  I actually try to do most of my work after my family is asleep.  It makes for some tiresome days, but I can accomplish so much more on the laptop when my  wife and kids are asleep, there are no distractions.

7. What is your legal form of business (sole proprietorship, LLC, etc.)?

I actually have a couple corporations.  One of my corporations in based in Costa Rica and designated an S.A., which is the equivalent of an L.L.C in the United States.  My main corporation however is based in the U.S. and is an L.L.C.

8. What challenges did you face when starting your business?

When starting out my biggest challenge was lack of knowledge which ultimately led to several failures.  It is amazing looking back at when I started how many rookie mistakes I made.  I would say capital was an issue as well.  I lost a great deal of money starting out which I could have used in such a better way.  Another challenge was coming up with the right niche to go out and market too.  Anymore you have to find something different or unique that will set you apart from the rest of your market.

9. What resources did you use when starting your business? Which ones do you think were the most important? Why?

I did a great deal of research on the internet and read through tons of internet forums.  I also made contacts with several webmasters and companies in the industry I was looking at getting into.  The most important resource I would say would be speaking with industry experts.  Half the stuff you read on internet message boards is bad or false advice.

Instead of just speaking with industry experts I would have paired up with at least one solid mentor from the beginning.  Having a mentor could have saved me lots of mistakes and money in the beginning.
 

Because I don't work conventional hours like many people it's hard to calculate.  I may work 6 hours in the afternoon and then another 4 at night. Overall I would guess I put in at least 60 hours a week.

In the industry I am in there are really no trade organizations as it is still somewhat unregulated.  I do belong to several forums and communities where we actively discuss the issues currently facing our industry.

Right now there are 2 full-time employees, myself and my partner Randy.  However I sub-contract a great deal of my work which I pay for services rendered in these situations.  I do have some business partners on various projects however I wouldn't consider them employees.

The biggest factor I contribute to my success is my hard work and my willingness to fail.  Likewise I think I have become successful because I have never been afraid to think outside the box and try unconventional things.

20. What advice would you give to a person contemplating opening a business?

It is not as easy as it sounds!  Be prepared to spend a lot of money at first with very minimal returns.  Also don't think that you can golf every day and barely ever work.  If anything you should be prepared to work double the hours than you would working a regular 8-5 job.

I would be in some type of sales job.  I love the interaction with people and the challenge of creating your own destiny.