Stephen Tanenbaum is the co-founder and President of UGallery.com. Founded in 2006 at the University of Arizona, he has led the company to double digit revenue growth every year since inception.
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Resources Mentioned:
- Your Big Idea: Successful Entrepreneurs have One Big Idea. Follow JLD’s FREE training & you’ll discover Your Big Idea in less than an hour!
- Audible – Get a FREE Audiobook & 30 day trial if you’re not currently a member!
- Slack – Stephen’s small business resource
- The 12 Week Year – Stephen’s top business book
- U Gallery
- Connect with Stephen on Twitter
3 Key Points:
- Never give up. There’s always an avenue to success if you’re prepared to be flexible.
- Find great advisors and mentors, and listen to them.
- Find a discipline that relaxes your mind and gives you space – whether it’s meditation or exercise.
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Time Stamped Show Notes:
- [02:23] – Stephen generates revenue by splitting sales 50/50 with the artist
- [02:56] – A curated online gallery that sells in multiple countries
- [03:24] – Recently helped a client in Dubai commission a painting from one of their artists
- [03:44] – Gives artists a reputable platform to showcase and sell their work
- [05:27] – Worst Entrepreneurial Moment: In his first business: being stuck with thousands of inventory units and no buyer after his retailer knocked off his product
- [08:12] – Keep your eyes open for opportunities
- [09:10] – Entrepreneurial AH-HA Moment: Diversifying the gallery away from student artists
- [11:16] – Now the fastest-growing online gallery in the world!
- [11:48] – Keep your finger on the pulse – keep talking to your peers
- [12:38] – “Find great advisers and mentors and listen to them.”
- [12:58] – Biggest weakness? – Impatience
- [13:22] – Biggest strength? – Persistence
- [13:43] – What has Stephen most fired up today? – “The site’s had a fantastic redesign that I’m really excited about.”
- [14:38] – Had to fight for the U Gallery domain
- [15:51] – The U Gallery story
- [19:47] – The Lightning Round
- What was holding you back from becoming an entrepreneur? – “Nothing. I started out selling baseball cards.”
- What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? – “It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.”
- What’s a personal habit that contributes to your success? – “Exercise”
- Share an internet resource, like Evernote, with Fire Nation – Slack
- If you could recommend one book to our listeners, what would it be and why? – The 12 Week Year
- [22:27] – Parting piece of guidance: “Never give up. There’s always an avenue to success.”
- [22:56] – Connect with Stephen via email or on Twitter
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