Leaders Perception Magazine is currently running an interview series called – What Are The Top 5 Mistakes People Make When Starting A New Business?
Today, we had the opportunity to interview Max Shak who is a CEo/Founder/CFO at Survival gear Shack.
Interviewee Name: Max Shak
Company: Survival gear Shack
Max Shak’s favourite quote: “It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.”
The Interview
Thank you so much for joining us today! Tell us a little bit about yourself. What is your backstory?
Max Shak : Max Shak is a man of many talents. He’s an avid outdoorsman and a firearms expert, not to mention a world traveler and international business owner. Max founded the survivalGearShack.com website in 2014, which provides information on all things related to surviving in extreme conditions and a hub specialized in reviewing firearms and outdoor gear for hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, and shooting sports enthusiasts.
Max been in love with guns since he was a little kid. he discovered shooting sports through his grandfather, who had been hunting since age 12 or 13- it turned out that Max was also gifted at hitting targets! He knows every type of gun and loves to build them almost as much as he enjoys shooting them! He served as team captain for the rifle team throughout high school and college, competing against other schools from across Canada. Max has had some great adventures exploring the outdoors, but his hobbies are mostly focused on things that go boom!
In your opinion, what makes your company stand out? Any examples?
Max Shak : Survival Gear Shack provides high-quality and objective writings that even a beginner can understand. So, expect it is time-saving but worth your precious time because there is no-nonsense content. Also, we value that every outdoor enthusiast is uniquely different. With that in mind, we present the best product reviews that can cover everything they possibly search to find.
Today, we live with modern technology that can divert outdoor hobbyists to choose online games over physically challenging but enjoyable outdoor activities. Hence, there are fewer new youth hobbyists since they are already occupied with video games that block them from enjoying the beauty of the outdoors. Thus, to prevent people’s loss of interest in outdoor activities, we work our best to provide interesting written works that tell how exciting it is to have regular outdoor hobbies.
We value everyone who visits our website. With that, we write reviews and guides that every reader can understand. Also, we want to erase the stigma about new outdoor hobbyists and shooters. They are always deserving of sharing the same love and passion with experienced people. We want them to communicate and be friends on our website freely.
Since we have vast options for every outdoor product and gear, we produce content with a list of the best options. We want to keep our readers’ time visiting our website and reading our writings worth it. That’s why Survival Gear Shack is producing the best lists every time.
Survival Gear Shack has fantastic references and detailed how-to guides to help form a stronger passion for beginners. We believe that every outdoor activity is exciting, fun and can make people feel an exciting adrenaline rush to feel alive, energetic, and skillful. Thus, we make sure that we regularly update our website to keep connected with everyone.
What are the TOP 5 mistakes people make when starting a new business? Please share advice/examples for all of them.
Max Shak : My first year as an entrepreneur was filled with mistakes. We will do everything in our power to help. The mistakes I see repeated in companies I am invested in are a lot like those I see in other companies. Keeping these in mind is something I constantly tell myself. It might be helpful for me to remember this answer.
START YOUR BUSINESS WHEN YOU ARE BROKE – Starting a company when you are broke is not a good idea. The term “no money” should not be used interchangeably with this term. It doesn’t mean you’re broke if you’re living on the floor of a friend’s house and eating nothing. The two things you need are food and shelter.
IF YOU ONLY HAVE MONEY TO LAST YOU SIX MONTHS THEN YOU ARE ALREADY OUT OF BUSINESS – It means: no matter what you do, you won’t be able to raise funds, do the legal, find customers, do the work, get paid, or do whatever else you have to do in six months.
SMOKE CRACK – Often, we overestimate the value of our own ideas. The idea of them not working is hard to accept. Businesses are purified by profits. An idea that works is the best way to tell if it’s a good one. It would be great if people gave you so much money that you had money left over. Revenues are the next best thing after profits. And users are the next best thing after that.
UNDER PROMISE AND OVER DELIVER – Over-promising will win the business first and foremost. Possession is 9/10 the law, regardless of how bad the job is done. It is possible for them to fix the relationship because they have the client. Secondly, you might underpromise and underdeliver. Eventually, they will switch to another vendor if you’re a bad vendor.
DON’T COMMUNICATE – Often, this is called “following up”. You should already have a system in place for following up on potential customers once you meet them. Following up on a proposal as soon as it is delivered, following up on a product as soon as it is delivered. Follow up on projects even while you are working on them.
Leaders Perception magaizne would like to thank Max Shak for the time dedicated to completing this interview and sharing their valuable insights with our readers!
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