"I would like to repeat: never listen to any advice, listen to yourself and do what you want"
Meet Tim Absalikov – Co-Founder and CEO of Lasting Trend – A Digital Marketing Agency in New York.
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Table of Contents
Thank you for joining us today. Please introduce yourself to our readers. They want to know you, some of the background story to bring some context to your interview.
Tim Absalikov: I have been doing online marketing for many years. I have got a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Economics as well as an MA in Web & Multimedia Design from Touro Graduate School of Technology in New York. I worked as Senior SEM Account Manager and Digital Marketing Director. Currently, I am the Acting CEO of Lasting Trend Agency.
I have cooperated with many reputable companies. Among them are World Educational Services and LaptopMD.
You are a successful entrepreneur, so we’d like your view point, do you believe entrepreneurs are born or made? Explain.
Tim Absalikov: Successful entrepreneurs are not born. You should develop and improve the following skills: great efficiency, the presence of a “perpetual” engine, fanatical dedication to the work, desire to learn, obtain new knowledge.
If you were asked to describe yourself as an entrepreneur in a few words, what would you say?
Tim Absalikov: I am a result-oriented entrepreneur who is ready to satisfy any of your marketing ambitions.
Tell us about what your company does and how did it change over the years?
Tim Absalikov: Lasting Trend is an independent full-service digital advertising agency based in New York City. It was founded in 2017. During the first years of work, our team has implemented successful marketing strategies for many local small business companies. Our cost-effective marketing technologies allow our clients to achieve significant sales growth just in a few months. We often take top places in SEO ratings.
Thank you for all that. Now for the main focus of this interview. With close to 11.000 new businesses registered daily in the US, what must an entrepreneur assume when starting a business?
Tim Absalikov: An entrepreneur should make an unbiased assessment of whether his product or service is needed by customers and how it will differ from similar products and services. He must be sure to look at what his competitors are offering and evaluate what they are doing well and what they are not doing well – try to find his niche in the market.
Did you make any wrong assumptions before starting a business that you ended up paying dearly for?
Tim Absalikov: I was always ready to give a free 30-60-minute marketing consultation to friends and acquaintances. At some point, the quantity and quality of the work showed that I was in demand not only in my corporate work but also as a marketing consultant for small businesses. This was the first step towards opening the own digital marketing agency Lasting Trend based in New York.
If you could go back in time to when you first started your business, what advice would you give yourself and why? Explain
Tim Absalikov: My advice to myself in the past is to listen to my inner feelings when making decisions and not ask for advice. If you like what you do and you do what you like you will make any dream come true.
What is the worst advice you received regarding running a business and what lesson would you like others to learn from your experience?
Tim Absalikov: I would like to repeat: never listen to any advice, listen to yourself and do what you want.
In your opinion, how has COVID-19 changed what entrepreneurs should assume before starting a business? What hasn’t changed?
Tim Absalikov: Covid, of course, affected our business, because previously, most of the contracts came from networking and personal communication with business owners. We have transferred the offline model to the online one. Instead of talking about marketing with potential customers at a restaurant over dinner, we started writing articles on our blog. Face-to-face consultation meetings have been replaced with 30 minute free consultations via Zoom.
What is a common myth about entrepreneurship that aspiring entrepreneurs and would-be business owners believe in? What advice would you give them?
Tim Absalikov: Don’t take the business advice you hear as an axiom to be followed word for word. Rather, use it as a tool for making important decisions and important strategic steps in your own business.
Get started today. The only sure way to learn is to do, and you can’t afford to sit around and wait for funding, hoping that someone else will come to help you realize your idea, or complain that you don’t have time.
What traits, qualities, and assumptions do you believe are most important to have before starting a business?
Tim Absalikov: You should develop and improve the following skills: great efficiency, the presence of a “perpetual” engine, fanatical dedication to the work, desire to learn, obtain new knowledge.
How can aspiring leaders prepare themselves for the future challenges of entrepreneurship? Are there any books, websites, or even movies to learn from?
Tim Absalikov: ‘The Man Who Changed Everything’ (2011). The story of the general manager of the Oakland baseball team, Billy Bean, who, in the name of saving the team, finds a unique and mathematically proven solution: he starts buying “inexpensive” baseball players, each of whom is good in only one parameter and builds a dream-team out of them. The title of the film speaks for itself: don’t be afraid to be a pioneer and change the rules of the game. Even with a minimum of resources, you can always find an effective solution to a problem.
You have shared quite a bit of your wisdom and our readers thank you for your generosity but would also love to know: If you could choose any job other than being an entrepreneur, what would it be?
Tim Absalikov: Now I am the CEO of a digital marketing agency. But I still like to develop SEO and SEM strategies and goals.
Larry Yatch, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Tim Absalikov for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Tim Absalikov or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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