Ashley Bodi, Co-Founder of BusinessBeware.biz

Single Entrepreneur Spotlight

Ashley Bodi

Sarasota, FL

Co-Founder, Business Beware

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1. My business and how I got started:

When I started working for the family businesses out of college my Dad and I had thrown around an idea of creating a site for business owners where they could warn each other about difficult customers.  After seeing the other side of how some customers treat business owners I knew something needed to be done, so Business Beware was born.  I think being on the other side of a business really opens your eyes and you realize “the customer is not always right.”

2. Why my product/service is better than the competition:

Business Beware is not like some of the typical blacklist sites you see out there where it’s just a place to rant and rave.  It’s like a reverse Better Business Bureau where customers have the chance to file a rebuttal if they choose to.  It’s a way for both sides to hopefully work out the situation and communicate with each other.  With Business Beware we don’t list people publicly or allow information to be placed in search engines like other sites may do.  We are about keeping it professional, clean and making it known that we are not a consumer bashing site.

3. A typical day for me:

A typical day is heading into the office getting stuff done I need to do for the family businesses and then switching into Business Beware mode.  Since we send out letters to customers that have a complaint filed against them I make sure everything gets sent out and get back with both parties.  Every day I touch base with my awesome programmer Shelley to make sure everything is up to speed.  Everyday I am talking with new people, partners and guests we are interviewing that Saturday on the radio show.  I always end the day with a nice run or workout to stay stress-free and to think about what I have coming up for the next day.

4. What I love most about my business:

I love the fact that I get to help businesses from all over but also getting the chance to learn about these amazing businesses. It’s unreal what you can learn from other people and their business.  That is a huge reason we started the “business spotlight” section on the site so we can tell others stories of how and why they started their company.  I love the fact that every business owner that I talk to loves what we’re doing with Business Beware and thank us for providing this service to them.  What more could you ask for, you get to do what you love and help people at the same time?

5. I’m cool because:

I’m simple and I’m not afraid to be me.

6. If my friends nominated me for an award, it would be “Most Likely to…”:

Actually this was discussed the other day…They would vote me to be most likely to be rich.  My goal is not to be rich and that is not what I set out to do with Business Beware. I just realized I wanted to do what I loved and help people along the way.  I think some confuse being rich with having a drive to want to be somebody or to never give up.  It’s about putting in the extra hours and not letting the bumps in the road cause you to come to a halt, it’s about overcoming the obstacles to get to where you want to be.

7. A movie made about my life it would be named:

“The Many Adventures of Bodi”  Because no matter where I go (especially when flying) I always have something interesting or funny that happens to me.

8. Strangest thing you’d find in my fridge, wallet or closet:

I think the strangest thing you would find in my closet is a sumo wrestling costume that I still have from a few years ago I wore for a halloween party.

9. Personal qualities I admire most in others:

Honesty, Genuine, Compassion and Sense of Humor.

10. Three things I hope to accomplish in the next five years:

I hope to make Business Beware the best it can be and continue to be a driving force for business owners.  I also hope to create a documentary and write a book!

Want to connect with Ashley? Follow her on…

Facebook, Twitter, Website, and Ashley’s Radio Show!

Serial Entrepreneur Lesley Mattos

Video Interview with Lesley Mattos, founder of Adesso Albums, Inc. and Bottoms-up Inc. (including a crazy, special question from Melinda Massie!).

(scroll down to see the full interview)

Want to connect with Lesley? Follow her…

At Addesso Albums:

Facebook, Twitter, and email

At Bottoms-up:

Facebook, Twitter, and email

***Use the code SingleCEO2010 for a 10% discount at either site***

Thanks, Lesley!!!

Serial Entrepeneur Brad Peterson

Do you ever wonder how some people come up with one great business idea after another? For Denver based serial entrepreneur Brad Peterson, new ideas don’t just come easy. They come right on time.

With jobless rates soaring across the country, Brad rode the recession’s silver lining to launch the brand new (and perfectly timed) iPhone application Audio Job Interview. With one download and a few good answers, potential employees get noticed by self-recording answers to common interview questions and then attaching the corresponding urls to their resumes. Confused? Scroll down and play the quick video below before reading on as Brad explains putting good ideas to use through even better execution.

Waiting to her Brad’s newest idea? Don’t worry, his next launch is only weeks away.

1. Your timing couldn’t be better. Which came first, the idea for Audio Job Interview or the recession?

Audio Job Interview, the timing was mostly fortuitous. Contrary to what one might believe the recession is not necessarily all good news for our product though. Sadly, we have found that a lot of job seekers have given up and are waiting on the sidelines to hopefully ride the recession out. We anticipate an upswing in the user downloads side once a recovery starts to feels tangible for beleaguered job seekers.

2. Who is the competition and what makes your application better?

Video interviewing is becoming more used and it’s just a matter of time before we see the technology niche-embraced in the mobile device realm. One of the shortcomings of video is that it’s not very candidate friendly. People are not always comfortable “on camera” and the effort required to make a video of acceptable quality is challenging. An Audio Interview is far easier to record, far more candidate friendly, and there is no chance for a “looks” bias to factor into the hiring equation, which HR departments must be very sensitive to.

3. What tips would you offer job seekers looking to make the most of Audio Job Interview? Any success stories?

Be confident, believe in the product and do not give up! One candidate re-applied to the same jobs she had been rejected for just weeks prior to trying Audio Job Interview. She re-applied but this time attached to her resume the URL link of her interview created on her iPhone. It got her two face to face interviews and both employers mentioned that they had never seen this technological platform used before. They were impressed and they appreciated the effort and originality.

4. What kind of feedback have you received post-launch?

Several venture capitalists have approached us to buy the technology and three rather large firms specializing in the staffing and hiring industry are interested in white labeling the product post-haste.

5. Audio Job Interview wasn’t your first entrepreneurial venture. Tell us about Wediting and any lessons learned.

Wediting, which I later sold to one of the editing artists who ran the company, specialized in outsourcing photography work flow and retouching for wedding photographers nationally. I learned that no matter how good an “idea” was or how marketable it appeared to be, at the end of the day it’s not what your business does but the people that run it that determine success. It’s best to think of businesses as people not ideas. I believe that any viable business can succeed so long as the right people are chosen to run it. Luckily, I was blessed to have such great people involved in this project.

6. Have you ever had a “real” job?

I was a construction laborer while I was in college. I enjoyed the physical labor but realized that no matter how hard I worked I was not in charge of my own destiny- I was simply earning a fair wage, not earning a living. Earning a living to me means balancing your life with work and enjoying what it is that puts bread on your table.

7. Describe the person who would best complement both your life and your business.

At times I have this naïve notion that I can’t fail so long as I try my hardest and surround myself with good people…which of course is a bit reckless and perhaps cocky. Any person who would ground me and remind that I can, and have many times, failed, would be both helpful and complementary. Luckily I have had girlfriends who were happy to do so!

10. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I hope that my life’s path allows me to continue pursuing creative entrepreneurial projects that inspire me to get out of bed in the morning and still pay my mortgages!

Brad’s Bio:

Bradford Peterson was once told by a business professor that all business idea’s had been thought of already- nothing is truly original. The professor said, “The difference, as to whether or not those idea’s came to be a success, had to do with people, not so much the ideas.” This resonated in Brad’s mind and became a cornerstone of belief in his pursuit of business endeavors. Rather than focusing on the idea behind a business concept, he chooses to place more emphasis on the people element. Business ideas are a dime a dozen, personnel who run the idea are not, he believes. To date Bradford has owned Forthright Auto Net, a classic car sales and marketing business, Wediting, an outsource workflow solution for wedding photographers, Imagetek, a youth sports photography company and two iPhone applications, Audio Job interview and iGiveway his latest app, which will hit the iTunes store within the month. When not surrounding himself with projects and people he considers to be smarter and more creative than himself, he enjoys kayaking, photography, fly-fishing, classic muscle cars, dating and yard work.

Want to connect with Brad? Follow him on Facebook!

Jennifer Goodwin, CEO of Internet Girl Friday

Jennifer Goodwin, CEO of Internet Girl Friday talks about personal branding, her army of virtual assistants, and living an organic lifestyle (most of the time).

Want to connect with Jennifer? Find her on ThatJenGirl.com!

Jonathan Swanson, co-Founder of Thumbtack

Listen in as Jonathan Swanson of internet startup Thumbtack talks to Nina Beckhardt about extreme rock climbing and shirtless co-founders. (scroll down to watch the video)

And, yes, you may have already guessed this lucky boy just came back from the Olympics!

Check out the Thumbtack website, blog, or follow them on Twitter!

Thank you to Nina Beckhardt for being this week’s video correspondent:)