Inspiring Inexperienced Entrepreneurs

Ivan Widjaya is the founder of a host of online magazines including Noobpreneur, a site which -- as its name suggests -- aims to help newbie entrepreneurs navigate the world of small business. The site does a great job educating people about trends and best practices in small business ownership and entrepreneurship, and serves as a useful portal of ideation and inspiration for people engaged in running small and growing businesses.

7 Questions with Ivan Widjaya

1. How do you reset to be creative?

It's pretty simple really: I don't reset. By nature, I love to think creatively. Obviously, there are days when I can't do creative thinking, and when those days come, I'd just go to public places. Not necessarily cafes; I can get inspiration while fueling my car on a petrol station.

2. What motivates you?

My desire to be meaningful with my work; to be able to help others in solving their problems - and generate income in the process, whenever possible.

3. How do you stay on top of the cutting edge?

I set Google alerts on topics relevant to my business. I read TrendHunter.com, TrendWatching.com, Quora.com, TechCrunch and other business and tech sites. I check crowdfunding sites, like KickStarter.com, from time to time to spot cool tech. I also check online marketplaces, like Flippa.com, to learn what people are up to in the webpreneurship scene.

I also follow other entrepreneurs and influencers, such as Gary Vaynerchuk, Anita Campbell, Neil Patel, Ann Smarty and other experts, and see what they are up to at this moment.

Not only consuming content and following experts, I also get my hands dirty, trying to adopt what the experts suggest. For example, Gary Vaynerchuk, the social media evangelist-slash-entrepreneur says that 2015 is the year for Instagram and Snapchat; so, I try those social platforms and see whether they can impact my business.

4. Are there any adjacent industries outside your own that you actively source for inspiration?

Yes. Design - I use Behance.net, Niice.co (also by Behance.net), Pinterest, and other sites for my inspiration.

5. Where do you see the future of blogs heading?

In the future, I see that blogs and social media will somehow merge - or intertwined, as least. I already see that there are bloggers who post their social updates in their blogs. For example: An expert I follow, Gary Vaynerchuk, cross-post everywhere: On his blog (GaryVaynerchuk.com), YouTube, Medium, LinkedIn, Slideshare, etc.

Personal blogging will still exist, but professional/business blogging will undergo major transformation. Things will be exciting!

6. What is the mission of your blog?

Our mission statement: To educate the general public about the trends and best practices in small business ownership and entrepreneurship

7. What makes your blog different? How can viewers leverage the content on your blog?

Noobpreneur.com seems like a small business/entrepreneurship blog with several major differences: We host Q&A with some of the big names of the industry, such as Eben Pagan (online entrepreneurship) and Robert Kiyosaki (wealth building.)

We also cover topics rarely covered by other general business blogs, such as legal issues, personal/professional development, alternative finance (e.g. offshore banking, invoice factoring) practical SEO tips, and so on.