Personal Life

Why I Accepted An $8.00/hr Job And Will Never Regret It

October 18, 2014 by alaahassan

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Yes, I used to make $8/hr and had a Computer Science Degree! Talk about being underpaid 🙁

But you know what, it was my own personal decision.

I really wanted to work there but there were no openings available for a programmer like me at this company. It was 2001 and I had just finished my 3 year computer science program. I was expecting to get paid at least $35 000/year (that’s what my professor told me).

What I Was Hired To Do for $8/hr (minimum 40 hrs/week)

Some web programming (didn’t really know much about the web at that time)
Lots of data entry (I hated it!)
Some experimenting with web graphics (testing my creativity)
Networking & IT (I hated dealing with computer networks)
Database queries (I hated that too!)
Learn how to sell products online (eCommerce)

Why I Accepted the Job

As you can see, I had to do many things I really didn’t enjoy doing but you will notice the last bullet point…..

I accepted the job because there was an opportunity in eCommerce. It was in the early days of online shopping and it seemed somewhat very interesting.

Whenever I hate doing something, I still put an effort in trying it because I might change my mind.

I didn’t enjoy the classes, the teachers or even the projects. That’s why I disliked databases & networking.

I Saw Opportunity but My Dad Saw Something Else

He wasn’t happy about my decision. He felt I deserved more money (I somewhat agreed with him). But I saw something he didn’t.

I saw an opportunity to learn about an emerging industry that wasn’t taught in school
I saw an opportunity to gain valuable experience learning about everything related to eCommerce
I saw growth potential, for myself and the company since it was selling a product which was in demand

What Happened the Next 3 Months?

The first 3 months were crucial. I had to prove myself.

I was first in, last out.

I said yes to everything and completed tasks as expected even sometimes (most of the time) above expectations.

I sacrificed my weekends, my evenings and just about any time I had for having fun to complete projects or do overtime.

I wad dedicated, committed and……hungry for knowledge!

Was it Worth It?

Yes it was!

I learned soooooo much, more than I even expected and the best part….I was actually having fun!

I loved my job and loved the fact that I was able to learn so many new things.

Guess what? I also started loving databases, networking and everything in between.

OMG…Guess What Happened After 6 Months?

The head of eCommerce decided to leave!!!!!!!!

The owner of the company didn’t know what to do. Should he hire someone to lead the business? Should he bring in an agency to help out? Finding the right talent for eCommerce during that time wasn’t really easy.

Who came to the rescue? I did!

I was ready for the challenge. I was ready to take control. I was ready to grow this company of 5 employees with $1million in sales a year.

Let me show you what I can do!

So What Happened in the Next 10 Years?

If you haven’t guessed which company that is………it’s www.iNetVideo.com (I’m currently the Vice President)

My dream was to take this company up! How high? Didn’t know and didn’t care. I just wanted to grow it to its full potential.

Want some stats?

Grew sales from $1 million in 2001 to $19.5million/year in 2011
Grew from 5 employees to 57
Used to ship 150 packages / day to over 4000 /day
Made the list of Internet Retailer Top 500 & Inc 5000
Sold not just on our website but over 12 other marketplaces (we were early adopters!)
I speak at many eCommerce conferences about our experience

and…….I still love what I do!

4 Things You Can Learn from My Experience

Look beyond money
Be ready to learn
Give it all you’ve got!
Don’t expect immediate results (be patient)

One Last Thing

In case you’re wondering, I did get a raise 🙂

Your turn: How much did you make at your first job?

3 Things You Should Do Every Morning Before Grabbing Your Phone

October 12, 2014 by alaahassan

If you’re like most people, the first thing you do in the morning as soon as you wake up is grab your phone. You start checking your emails, followed by your Facebook notifications, Instagram likes and maybe your latest tweets. From there, you might get up and go about your morning rituals.

Before, we used to simply wake up, snooze the alarm clock (now replaced by our phones), head to the bathroom and simply get ready for work or school. Some of us might grab the newspaper and eat a quick breakfast.

Times have changed!

If you’re like me, I tend to spend 15-20min in the morning just going over notifications and updates on my phone.

I was at Inbound 2013 in Boston, a conference hosted by Hubspot.com, where Arianna Huffington spoke about how she doesn’t bring any electronics in her bedroom when she goes to sleep.

I tried doing that but couldn’t do it. Instead, I started charging my phone a little further away from my bed.

I started doing this as well:

Things I Do As Soon as I Wake Up

1. Take a deep breath (5 seconds) and exhale (Do this 5 times)

It’s the best way for stretching your body while still in bed. It wakes up all your organs by injecting lots of oxygen!

2. Be thankful for being alive

That puts a smile on my face because this means I have another day to make a difference in this world.

3. Kiss your significant other – or yourself 🙂

My wife is the first person I’m nice to in the morning.

What's Another Word for Nice?

October 11, 2014 by alaahassan

First, what is the meaning of being nice?

It means being pleasant, agreeable, satisfactory – Google Definition

In case you’re wondering what’s another word for nice, here’s a couple:

Be good
Be agreeable
Be enjoyable
Be gratifying
Be delightful
Be marvelous

Such a simple 4 letter word and not difficult to implement. Don’t you agree?

But why is it hard for people to be nice sometimes?

What causes them to act the opposite (unpleasant, nasty, improper, unattractive)?

Could it be…

Bad weather
Stress level
Bad mood
Being tired (lack of sleep)

Here’s how I truly believe the world would become a better place:

Try being nice to one person a day. Do something that will make them say….”Thank you!”

That’s 365 people you can be nice to a year. Now that’s a lot. It’s not difficult at all.

Try it for the next 30 days.

The ONE Thing Every eCommerce Executive Should Have

October 9, 2014 by alaahassan

Need some hints?

You visit at least one everyday
You use them while sitting, moving or even lying down
You judge them within seconds of being introduced
You hate dealing with the difficult ones

Did you guess?

Every eCommerce Executive Needs a Personal Website

I’m always surprised whenever I meet someone within the eCommerce industry who doesn’t have a website under his or her name (ex: here’s mine www.AlaaHassan.com)

In this digital age, a website is a virtual version of your business card.

Having a personal website is not the same as…

Having Linkedin profile
Having an About.me page
Having a Social media account (Facebook, Twitter, Google+…)

Your Personal Website is:

Your personal hub
A place you call home
A place you own
Your reputation
Your expertise
Your Value Proposition
Your Personal Brand

No one is allowed to take it away from you and benefit from it.

Why Don’t You Have A Website Already?

If you do, then congratulations! You’re already ahead of many other eCommerce executives out there.

But if you don’t, is it because…

It costs too much?
You don’t have time?
You don’t need one?
You are not special?
You don’t deserve one?
You never thought of having one?

What is stopping you?

Here’s a thought.

The eCommerce industry is changing every day. There are more eCommerce executives than ever. The executive position in general is becoming more specialized.

Our jobs are not as secure as they used to be. You need to establish your personal brand ASAP.

DO THIS: Start by launching a website on www.Strikingly.com (affordable, reliable & easy to use)

My good friend, Johnny Russo, Director of eCommerce at Mexx.ca, just launched his own after we discussed it over lunch a couple of weeks ago in Montreal. I’m glad I was able to inspire him to get started.

Let me know if you need any help. I can show you how I’ve done it for myself as an eCommerce Executive at iNetVideo.com

In the meantime, you can read some of my personal branding tips.

If you have a personal site already, post it in the comments below!

Does the Car You Drive Affect Your Personal Brand?

October 6, 2014 by alaahassan

Let’s face it, most human beings evaluate a person based on first impressions.

Remember when a new kid arrives to your class in high school? Or the time a friend introduces you to another friend?

Reality is, most of us do it without even realizing it. We evaluate the way a person looks, behaves or talks.

Also, some of us also evaluate a person based on the car he or she drives.

The type of car you drive says a lot (just like your clothes)

What stage in life you’re at (ex..driving a van means you have a family)
Level of success (but sometimes people with nice cars can barely afford them..don’t be fooled)
How you feel (convertible car in your 50’s could mean midlife crisis)

Sometimes, it doesn’t mean anything since you value other things in your life more than the car you drive.

One thing for sure is I’ve noticed that people look at you differently whether you like it or not.

Do you invest in a car simply to improve your personal brand?

First of all, a car is not an investment but an expense unless it’s a Ferrari you’re planning on keeping for a very long time. Second, it really depends the type of personal brand you plan on having. Some people can benefit from having a better looking car since it helps them close deals (ex. real estate agents) while others it might not even affect them (ex. teacher in hight school).

Think it through and plan it right.

Myself, I only got a better car when I was able to afford it and felt it was time. I did it at a time when it matched my stage in life and it did compliment it. It helped me boost my credibility and trust as a person who knows what he’s doing in business (but I was still learning about business).

People often said “If he’s driving this car, then he must be doing well. I should hire him to work with me.”

The car allowed me to generate more leads for my services and it still does.

The car you drive does affect your personal brand whether you like it or not.

Do you agree?

I'm Dealing With Lack of Focus & Concentration Everyday

October 5, 2014 by alaahassan

Dealing with Focus & Concentration I wake up in the morning thinking:

It’s time to conquer this world and accomplish incredible things.

By the time I get my first cup of coffee, I already feel that I’ve wasted some time. Next thing you know, it’s now lunch. Then I start feeling tired towards the end of the afternoon only to realize that it’s already 5’oclock and need to head back home.

The clock is ticking away at an unbelievable speed and I’m noticing it more often than ever. Maybe it’s because I’m older now and I feel that I need to be more productive if not more efficient.

Handling Too Many Projects = Source of My Challenges

That’s exactly what I’m dealing with right now. I currently have a full time position at iNetVideo.com as vice president as well as the president of my ecommerce agency, founder of my online courses academy and blogging at passionTribe.com.

It’s a lot of work, especially when you’re also managing multiple clients.

What Am I Going To Do About It?

Not sure exactly other than the fact that I need to learn how to improve my focus and concentration skills. That’s what I will be focusing on this week and will be blogging about it as well.

How To Improve

Learn about the causes of losing focus & concentration
Learn about the techniques to improve focus
Learn about valuable tools to help you focus & concentrate more
Try & track performance of everything I learned

Are you dealing with the same type of challenges? How did you resolve them?