<![CDATA[The Soule Entrepreneurial Institute - Projects]]>Tue, 20 Apr 2010 07:39:37 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Soule Mobile]]>Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:27:21 -0800http://www.briansoule.com/2/post/2010/04/soule-mobile.htmlPicture
Within our generation, all of the world's people will have access to all of the world's information, and it will be available in the palm of their hand.

Soule Mobile: It has been more than a year since I last updated the world on my current company. Soule Mobile builds great apps for businesses and investors. The product of great supporting talent, countless hours of programming, and old fashioned hard work, our goal is to join the Inc. 500 in style.

The decision to invest myself into mobile was both exciting, and inevitable. Data shows that smartphone growth is eclipsing that of internet era. Globally, many smartphone users have never owned a pc and are accessing the internet for the first time through their mobile phones.

I'll leave you with Mary Meeker of Morgan Stanley's report on the mobile web.
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Mobile has been defined by its breathtaking rate of adoption. Within 5 years more web pages will be accessed on smartphones than on PCs.
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Mobile's growth is only shadowed by it's greater potential, the number of PCs are destined to be a fraction of that of smartphones; Portable, Realtime, and Location based services will change the way we live our lives.
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The extinction of Wi-Fi: With mobile bandwidth exploding, and 4G on the horizon, we will begin to forget the days when we sat around a router to access the internet.
The future is now.
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]]><![CDATA[Inc. 500]]>Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:11:28 -0800http://www.briansoule.com/2/post/2009/11/inc-500.htmlSmiley Media is number 168 of Inc.'s 500 fastest growing private companies, achieving 1,126.3% growth from 2005-2008.

I'm grateful to have experienced such breakneck growth. 

Smiley Media - Inc. 500
]]><![CDATA[Smiley Media]]>Sat, 17 Jan 2009 14:10:19 -0800http://www.briansoule.com/2/post/2009/01/smiley-media.html

You are probably wondering why the institute hasn't been updated as frequently during the last few months. What is Brian Soule working on? Is he on track with his startup company goals? Is he still trying to change the world?

I have been working at Smiley Media. It was started in Silicon Valley by Steve Oskoui, and subsequently relocated to Austin. We grew around 8.8X during the last year, with total annual revenues around 60 million. 

I work with millions of dollars worth of traffic, every day; and I look forward to sharing interesting stories, and some of Steve's compelling anecdotes with you.

]]><![CDATA[Westlake Alumni Network]]>Sat, 27 Sep 2008 14:56:50 -0800http://www.briansoule.com/2/post/2008/09/westlake-alumni-network.htmlDuring my high school years, I made some fantastic friendships that continue to this day. It continues to amaze me how many high caliber individuals I encountered in one location. 

This burgeoning alumni organization promises to provide a rich body of talent and camaraderie to all of it's members.

Besides good company, the WAN will provide the following services:
1. Provide a communication channel
2. Facilitate business exchange of talent (jobs), contracts, and partnerships.
3. Provide helpful resources

Current Tasks:

 - Develop literature for new members
 - Design a WAN logo/letterhead
 - Develop the website
     Create a news section
     Document member information
     Enable intelligent search for networking (sort by          profession, graduation year, location, Ect.)
 - Affiliate with at least 25% of the "millennial" generation (graduating year 2000-present) by 2009

If you would like to volunteer to help with these tasks, shoot me an email at brian (at) briansoule .com. Let me know how you can contribute to these tasks and I will make you an official part of the organization.

]]><![CDATA[Tip Science Sales Strategies]]>Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:11:47 -0800http://www.briansoule.com/2/post/2008/09/tip-science.htmlAfter finishing writing Tip Science; I encountered an entirely new challenge, selling it.

Without doing much research, I set up an account with Google Adwords, and created a sales page. The page did ok without any optimization, but being average is hardly the best strategy.

After researching for a few weeks two resources rose to the forefront, a recorded seminar by the author of Guerrilla Marketing and The book Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely.

Guerrilla Marketing was written in 1983. In retrospect, most advice on cutting edge marketing I've been given over the years can be traced to that lecture. I will be posting a summary in the near future, so check for it on the blog page.

The book Predictably Irrational follows studies in behavioral economics conducted by MIT's Dan Ariely. A very interesting read, I will be posting a summary on it too.

So how will I change my sales strategies?

I will expand Tip Science from a book to a training course; with a training checklist, progress calendar, forum membership, and a course guide.

The price will increase to 49.95, and the course will be free for 30 days.

The sales page will become a helpful questionnaire, instead of a self promotion.

I will add a second item, priced at 129.95 (more on this tactic with the Predictably Irrational summary)

Stay tuned for the results of these experiments.

]]><![CDATA[TipScience.com Book Update]]>Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:41:17 -0800http://www.briansoule.com/2/post/2008/06/tipsciencecom-book-update.htmlI have been doing extensive book research in the field (my restaurant) and in scientific journals. My tips have been astounding my coworkers.

The book will answer questions like
How can acting like an ape increase your tips?
What short term investment has a 1,300% return?
How fewer choices mean bigger gratuity.

To celebrate, anyone who has left a comment on my site or signed up for the Soule Opportunity Network will receive a free copy of my book on the release date.

]]><![CDATA[Wake Aid Product Lab]]>Thu, 29 May 2008 19:28:07 -0800http://www.briansoule.com/2/post/2008/05/wake-aid-product-lab.htmlI have just published our logo prototypes in the new Wake Aid product lab.

The lab has a survey/input section where you can give input on our logo prototypes. Anyone who gives their opinion can get a free bottle of Wake Aid when the product launches for consumer testing.

]]><![CDATA[TipScience.com]]>Sat, 24 May 2008 13:04:03 -0800http://www.briansoule.com/2/post/2008/05/tipsciencecom.htmlI have started working on my first eBook:
TipScience, how to double your tips using five psychological principles.
You can check out the storefront I have set up at TipScience.com.

I am doing research for the book, (waiting tables) and would like to finish within 20 days. (by June 13th, 2008)

]]><![CDATA[Wakeaid has hired 6,602,224,175 employees]]>Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:27:05 -0800http://www.briansoule.com/2/post/2008/04/wakeaid-has-hired-6602224175-employees.htmlWe have opened up wake aid so that anyone who provides valuable work or ideas can be paid for their efforts. It's very cool, and a bit radical.

Check out our announcement,
You are now the CEO of WakeAid.

What do you think?

]]><![CDATA[Eagles Roost Moving]]>Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:29:08 -0800http://www.briansoule.com/2/post/2008/03/eagles-roost-moving.htmlEagles Roost started when my boss (Dr. Robert O'Brien of Virtual.MD) decided to move to a new home in Austin. They said the moving company would charge them around $2,800 for move. I jokingly said that I could do it half that price.

That night I checked the figures for a do it yourself job.
 1. A U-Haul could easily stay under $200 for the whole project,
 2. A few college students would work for $150-200 apiece
 3. New Ropes, Boxes, Blankets, and Tape should stay under $500
Four students, a truck and supplies would total up to about $1500 dollars.

Here is a moving estimate for an in town, two bedroom house from Fasrelo.com
Moving from Austin, Texas to Austin, Texas
Estimated Distance:    0 miles   Estimated Weight:    11,000 pounds
Estimated Cost:    $4,900 - $5,900

That's $1,000 to $4,400 potential profit for one day's work! (or no work at all)

As the O'Briens are family friends, I decided not to charge them more than the job actually cost plus my hourly labor. I called two of my friends, who happened to be eagle scouts and a few Sundays later we were moving furniture into a U-Haul van.  Jokingly, we started calling it the eagle scout moving company. We knew plenty of knots and our band of movers managed to move the whole house without any damage to the furniture. The job ended up costing around $750 dollars. Our costs totaled to 26% of the original estimate.

We have completed one other job since then, with similar results. The name Eagles Roost Moving has really stuck as it conveys the trustworthiness that boy scouts are taught from a young age.

The best part of moving is that you get to sleep like a baby after the job. I would love to make this company grow into an Austin institution. I'm looking for good people to be a part of this company. Send me an email if you want to be a part of Eagle's Roost,
or...
Give us a call for your next move!

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