Anchalee Pagsanjan: thoughts

5/16/2016

Why Small Businesses Need Blogging

My interest in growth hacking all started with one book - Growth Hacker Marketing by Ryan Holiday. After reading his amazing book, I became obsessed with finding cost-effective, data-driven strategies to grow businesses. Who wouldn't want to only spend $5 to acquire 5 million users? The TV ad days are over. It's all about finding a viral way to grow without blowing your money on marketing tactics that don't even allow you to analyze its ROI. That's wasteful!

As a final project for my Information Technology and Informatics class, I had to create an infographic featuring an emerging technology. I obviously chose blogging. Blogging is so simple that it can sometimes be overlooked. Though it may seem to be irrelevant, the data proves its benefits and advantages.

It all started on January 19994 when Justin Hall decided to create the first blog ever, Link.net. From there, the term "weblog" turned into what we know it as today, "blog." Blogging kick-started in the early 2000's with just a few bloggers. Now, blogging is 37.6% of social networking sites and there's over 152 million active blogs. With millions logging into to the blogosphere, it has become the new source of advertisement and marketing for companies. Working with a tight budget, small businesses need this type of growth hack to level up their strategies.

If the information on the inforgraphic still doesn't convince you to blog, here's some more teasers that I know you won't be able to resist:

1. It's cheap and sometimes free!

Blogger is a free site where you can host your blog and even create your company site. Its user-friendly interface is perfect for website newbies.WordPress is another thrifty option. Unfortunately, it may cost you if you want to customize your site more. As for domains, they run for about $12 - $18. Imagine spending only $12 to grow your busy 12x what it is now. Well you don't have to imagine anymore because you can actually do it!

2. It's easy to start.

Who doesn't like making easy money? All you have to do is create a site, download a free template, and start typing. It's not that hard - honestly. If you host your site on Blogger, there are hundreds of free templates out there that you can use (obviously I'm a Blogger advocate). If you want to get real fancy and spend a couple more bucks, you can hire a web designer to customize your site for you. You can also ask a friend or hire an intern looking for experience. There's tons of articles and YouTube videos that can help you figure out how to blog. So many options! All cheap and easy!

3. It's fun and helps your company improve.

Losing money because you can't tell whether a marketing tactic worked or not is NOT fun. With blogging, the graphs and analytics spell it out for you. Say goodbye to guess and check and process of elimination. You can take this data and turn it into something useful. Customers aren't viewing your post about black leather in summer but loving your post about crop tops in the summer? Maybe it's time to take out black leather from your inventory! Data is actionable feedback. Now you don't have to pester your customers to take that survey about your Summer 2016 Collection.

In making this final project for my class, we had to think of a purpose. My purpose for informing you, my audience, about blogging is so that you can take this information and put it into action. As you can see, there are so many benefits to blogging. This simple technology can improve and enhance your company. Just give it a try and see for yourself.

2/09/2016

Hustling at Hustle Summit

1/24/2016

What It's Really Like: They Didn't Want Girls Like Me

A couple weeks ago, About.Me asked me to write an article for their "What It's Really Like" series. I was super excited to get this notification because it was my chance to get my word out there. This issue is so important to me. I really want to be able to help all the young women who went through or are going through the same struggles I did.

Women have infinite skills and abilities to offer. I think it's about time for companies to notice that and start investing in our young women. It's time to foster the leaders within them.

Here is the link to the article: https://campus.about.me/2016/01/11/female-student-entrepreneur

This is the original version of the article without About.Me's edits and word limit.

"WHAT IT’S REALLY LIKE: When the world doesn’t want to see you to succeed.

They didn’t encourage girls like me. They wanted programmers, coders, and designers. They didn’t make us feel important or needed. We don’t get chances to be mentored, inspired, and guided to a successful career. We needed to do things on our own or share it with the boys. They didn’t want young women entrepreneurs and leaders.

I’ve always known I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I wanted to be the boss. I wanted to create and innovate. I wanted to explore every industry possible. I was never made to be a follower. As I entered my freshman year of college, I jump-started my career. I got an executive board position in my club and an internship spring semester. Leaving freshman year with one internship under my belt and two more lined up for me, I was feeling pretty accomplished. But I still felt like something was missing. I felt like there was more that could’ve been done.

I searched endlessly for programs and opportunities that helped young women, exclusively, become entrepreneurs. Everything I found were for girls interested in STEM. The leadership and business summits and programs that I did find were offered both to boys and girls, unlike certain STEM programs that were developed specifically to advance girls in that field. I searched every day and I couldn’t find any mentorship program that catered to girls like me.

I was starting to feel hopeless and a little bit jealous. It’s hard to see all these awesome opportunities open up for girls my age because they got to participate in a program that fostered their interests and abilities. I started to question if entrepreneurs were actually that important. Do people really not want to see women leading businesses and making a change in the world? I had to assume it as true. All these programs and none of them helped young women become entrepreneurs.

There are so many young women trying to become executive leaders and entrepreneurs, but society doesn’t support it. Women with strong leadership qualities are ridiculed and overlooked. Women get less pay and, even worse, less recognition. All of our positive leadership traits get turned into negative ones.

There was nothing out there to reassure young women that they can be powerful, assertive, strong and confident. There was nothing out there that taught young women to embrace their leadership skills and go forward with their interest and abilities. There was nothing out there that showed young women the in’s and out’s of entrepreneurship and guided them on their journey.

It was so hard for me to accept the fact that I had the short end of the stick. Because of my career choice, I got less opportunities and experiences that would facilitate my growth and improvement. It also didn’t make any sense to me because I knew entrepreneurs are important. They make the future. I also know women are brilliant. We are better leaders than men. So why aren’t young women entrepreneurs given the chance to foster the leaders within them?

I decided to take initiative – exactly what a good entrepreneur would do. I contacted the CEO of my internship and told her about this very big problem I observed. I pitched her my solution to fix this problem. Since my story resonated with her, she decided that my idea for a mentorship program designed for young women interested in entrepreneurship and executive leadership was excellent. With her help, I am creating a program for girls just like me.

Soon, there will be no more girls searching endlessly only to find that there are no programs that wants them to succeed in what they like to do. Girls don’t have to feel hopeless, jealous, or insignificant because they don’t get amazing opportunities even though they are equally as important. Young women entrepreneurs deserve those opportunities and experiences. Young women entrepreneurs should be supports, encouraged, and guided to success. Young women entrepreneurs are important and they should have a program that lets them know that.

Take your frustrations and short-comings and make them into something innovate and visionary. Create something that can help others who go through what you go through. Make a change. Don’t let the world stop you. Become an entrepreneur. Because entrepreneurs will stop at nothing."

Note To Self: Keep killing it!