Sometimes the struggle is to find an idea. But other times the struggle is to make an idea – or set of ideas – more focused. Michael Tavani, founder and CEO of Switchyards in Atlanta, Georgia, believes this is a process every company needs to go through. “I think companies start off as really scattered…

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Many entrepreneurs come up with multiple ideas, and it can be a challenge to negotiate changing visions. Michael Tavani, the founder and CEO of Switchyards in Atlanta, GA, shares the story of how he and his company changed their business model to keep the company growing.  Tavani started with a question: “What is it that’s…

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The most successful companies do more than just create a product. The key is to build a brand that grabs and holds people’s attention.  In this video, Michael Tavani, the founder and CEO of Switchyards, discusses some great examples of companies that have successfully created a deeper connection with their customers, even in some unexpected…

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Many professions and businesses require additional training and education above and beyond the knowledge necessary to start and run a business every day. Louie Northern of Ascend Aerials needed specific training in several different aspects of using UAS, or drones, to get his company off the ground. First, he had to attend flight school, learning…

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Starting Ascend Aerials has presented many challenges to founder Louie Northern, most notably in the form of FAA regulations. But, he says, overcoming those challenges requires not just the ability to do it, but the will. Wanting to do something, and even being capable of doing something, are not enough. It comes down to willpower…

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Everybody is looking for the ingredients for success. Louie Northern of Ascend Aerials suggests that success in your business requires not only the competence and capability to deliver on what you promise, but just as much and perhaps even more a belief in your ability do deliver. To succeed, you have to believe you can.…

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When you’re starting a new business, one of the first challenges is making it real—and that includes in your own mind. Making something tangible that you can see and commit to is a big help to getting off the ground, says Louie Northern of Ascend Aerials. After coming up with the idea for the business,…

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Coming up with the idea for Ascend Aerials began with a love for technology. Louie Northern’s work as an urban designer gave him a lot of exposure to the world of video editing and multimedia presentations, and when he first encountered UAS technology he was immediately smitten with the possibilities. While at first he was…

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Louie Northern of Ascend Aerials spent the past decade working as an urban designer and landscape architect, roles that prepared him well for becoming an entrepreneur and owning his own business. Many things contributed to his entrepreneurial aspirations, including his upbringing and professional roles that brought different challenges and different problems to overcome with each…

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“Be flexible. Whether you’re the type of person that has a 14-page business plan, or a napkin with an early stage logo and that’s all you want to do, you have to be flexible and ready to take big turns.” That’s the number one piece of advice Simms Jenkins of BrightWave Marketing has for fellow…

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