How to be an Entrepreneur

as a Business Journalist

Presented by Maya Payne Smart and Joe Grimm

Course Overview

• Monday: Getting down to business

• Tuesday: Building your support team

• Wednesday: Marketing for journalists

• Thursday: Brand you

• Friday: Live chat with journalist entrepreneurs

Policies and Procedures

• Participation is encouraged

• Feel free to type questions in the chat pod at any time

• Listen for chances to type your answers (“y” for yes and “n” for no) in the chat pod

• Take polls throughout the presentation

• After class e-mail me at maya@writingcoach.com

Day 1:Getting Down to

BusinessPresented by

Maya Payne Smart

About Me

Today’s Agenda

• Thinking like an entrepreneur

• Setting up shop

• Making it official

• Protecting your assets

Goals for Today

• Grasp the importance of having an entrepreneurial mindset

• Know what equipment and supplies you need to get started

• Learn when and how to incorporate your business and register with local, state and federal authorities

• Understand the true cost of doing business

Thinking Like an Entrepreneur

The Entrepreneurial Mindset

Raising Your Business IQ

• Read business publications

• Talk to business owners

• Seek out business advisors

• Understand and create financial reports

What’s your business worth?

Setting Up Shop

Balanced Budget

The Right Stuff

Buyer Beware

• Efax or stand alone fax

• Stationery

• Magazine subscriptions (Blasphemy!)

• Voice recognition software

• Distant conferences

Making It Official

Choosing a Legal Structure

• Sole proprietorship

• Partnership

• Corporation

• S Corporation

• Limited Liability Company (LLC)

Registering a Business Name

• Naming conventions (sole proprietor, partnership, corporations)

• How to register your business name with the state

• When and how to register a fictitious name, or DBA name

Tax Matters

• Employer identification number (EIN)

• State and local tax registration

Business Licenses and Permits

• State business and occupational licenses

• Local business and occupational licenses

• Signage permit

• Alarm permit

http://business.gov/register/licenses-and-permits

Protecting Your Assets

• Health Insurance

• Disability Insurance

• Commercial Insurance

• Media Perils Liability Insurance

Questions?Please e-mail me at maya@writingcoach.com.

Day 2:Building Your Team

Presented by Maya Payne Smart

Today’s Agenda

• Identifying your business model

• Documenting your work flow

• Defining your ideal role

• Delegating the rest (up, down and sideways)

Goals for Today

• Understand that you must have great clarity about your goals in order for others to help you

• Recognize that no one succeeds alone and that your network determines your net worth

• Learn when and how to foster strong relationships with people inside and outside of your company

Model 1: Freelancing

Model 1:Freelancing

Model 2:Author/Speaker

Model 2:Author/Speaker

Model 3:Freemium

Model 3:Freemium

Documenting Workflow

• Generate story idea

• Pitch to client

• Negotiate contract

• Conduct online research

• Schedule interviews

• Conduct interviews

• Write article

• Proofread and fact check

• Submit to editor

• Revise

• Invoice

• Remind

• Collect

• Deposit check

How Work Disappears

• Define what’s important

• Neglect the unimportant

• Automate what you can

• Do your job

• Delegate the rest

What’s Your Job?

• Generate story idea

• Pitch to client

• Negotiate contract

• Conduct online research

• Schedule interviews

• Conduct interviews

• Write article

• Proofread and fact check

• Submit to editor

• Revise

• Invoice

• Remind

• Collect

• Deposit check

Delegating…

You Can’t Delegate…

• Working out

• Eating well

• Relaxing

• Friendships

• Family

• Ultimate responsibility

Getting Unstuck

• What’s standing between you and this action step?

• What pay off are you getting from staying stuck?

• How can your team help you move forward?

• What can you do to minimize fear/anxiety/risk so you are motivated to act?

• What next steps can lead to the big leap?

Questions?Please e-mail me at maya@writingcoach.com.

Day 3:Marketing for

JournalistsPresented by

Maya Payne Smart

Today’s Agenda

• Choosing a niche

• Defining your target market

• Pursuing sales

• Minding journalistic ethics and standards

Goals for Today

• Understand why specialization pays

• Grasp the importance of market research

• Learn tried and true methods for building your platform and broadening your network

• Recognize ethical issues

The Process

Get Niche Quick

Why?

• Builds expertise

• Improves the quality of your stories

• Shortens your research time

• Allows you to negotiate higher pay

• Attracts assignments and resources to you

How To

• Monitor news in your niche with RSS feeds

• Attend conference and events related to your niche

• Pursue assignments in your niche

• Blog in your niche (see beatblogging.org for best practices)

One Niche, Multiple Expressions

What’s Hot Now?

Source: Magazine Publishers of America

Walking the Line

JournalistMarketer

Freelance Marketing

Freemium Marketing

What’s Your Story?

Selling Your Story

• Articles

• Websites/Blogs

• Speaking

• Professional groups and directories

• Social media

• Conferences and events

Staying Connected

Questions?Please e-mail me at

maya@writingcoach.com.