The Flexibility of An Online Business
By Cheval John
Soccer (as the world calls football) is one of the most unique sports ever created.
The sport is played in all of the 193 sovereign countries and all of the about 50 territories of the world.
Soccer’s success can attribute to a lot of tournaments that includes the FIFA’s World Cup and the UEFA Champions League.
For the athletes that plays soccer, it allows them to build a foundation that can set them and their families to break the poverty that the majority of them grew up in.
Another benefit that athletes have in playing soccer is the opportunity to travel the world.
They can interact with a new culture that is different than theirs and also improve their soccer skills that can benefit their respective national team.
In a lot of ways, creating an online business can allow you to work from anywhere in the world.
According to this 2014 Internet Retailer article, they are between 12- 24 million online businesses in the world today.
That makes it easy for a business owner to work from anywhere in the world and run their business.
And to add on the fact that social media has made it more manageable to interact with their prospective customers everyday, the business owner can succeed from any location in the world for the better.
Now if you have a business and you are not on social media, you are very invisible.
The reason being is that your potential customers are already on social media and are making their decision of whether to buy from a business or not based on what they see from their peers on social media.
Another reason why a business owner should be on social media is because half the world are on social media according this Fortune article.
Ahna Hendrix, who is the founder and CEO of Arch Digital Agency, was very smart in building her online presence while she was in college before creating her business.
Ahna shared with me on What’s The Word? about how her travels indirectly helped her to form her business and why many people should embrace social media.
She also chatted about her podcast, “Behind The Brand with Ahna,” which she records on the live streaming platform, Blab.
In conclusion, the internet has opened doors for anyone to run an online business and build strong friendships through social media.
If a person uses social media correctly, they can have a long lasting business that will allow them to travel and also make the world a better place.
You Can’t Always Get Your Wish
By Cheval John
Clint Dempsey always had a chip on his shoulder.
He never had an entitlement like others who play the sport of soccer had during their childhood.
He grew up in a lower-middle class family in Nacogdoches, Texas where he had to fight for everything.
He carried that attitude all the way to the English Premier League, where he displayed his talent and ability to score at will for Fulham, F.C.
During that time, he played under four head coaches and each time, he had to prove himself time and time again.
That what separated him from the others as he became the first American international to score 50 career goals in the EPL and establish himself as one of the best players in the world.
Dempsey always had a knack for knowing what he wants.
He got a taste of what it was like to play in a European club competition when Fulham played in the UEFA Europa League during the 2009-10 season.
His most memorable moment came in the second leg of the match against Juventus in Craven Cottage, when he chip in a beautiful ball from outside the penalty area into the net for the game-winning goal that knocked the Italian club out of the competition.
They made it to the final that season, but lost to Atletico Madrid.
He knew that he was not getting any younger and that he made it clear that he wanted to play for an UEFA Champions League club.
To him, it was not about the money, but the very opportunity to experience the atmosphere of playing in what is arguably, the most prestigious club competitions in Europe.
Liverpool, F.C. showed interest in acquiring Dempsey during the off season.
Dempsey didn’t travel with the team for training and was determined to get out with all possible means.
The Reds wavered because they did not meet the asking price by Fulham.
By the time the 2012-13 season began, Dempsey did not report to the team, which indicated that he was done with the club.
On the other hand, Liverpool tried to make a last ditch effort by midnight on Friday before the transfer window, but to no avail.
It seemed as if Dempsey was going to remain at Fulham.
But, at the last minute, Tottenham Hotspur reached an agreement with the Cottagers to acquire Dempsey.
The Spurs are currently in the Europa League this season after being knocked out by Chelsea, who won the UEFA Champions League final last season.
Though it wasn’t the team that Dempsey wanted, he got his wish because not only is he playing for a club that came close to play in the Champions League, but he doesn’t have to move miles away from his home in London.
Some see this drama as him being selfish because he is making millions of dollars and is playing in the best league in the world.
But to others, they see a player who wants to experience the atmosphere of playing in the Champions League.
Depending on which side of the fence you’re on, one thing is certain; Dempsey will not make the U.S. National team when they play Jamaica in the qualifier matches for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil that is set to begin in a couple of weeks.
Bearkat Soccer Team Ready For 2012 Season
by Cheval John
After falling short in the semifinals in the Southland Conference Post-Season Tournament last year, the SHSU Bearkat soccer team is looking to make a statement in the 2012 season.
The Bearkats are returning all 11 starters from last year’s team that experienced the heartbreaking loss against Texas State Bobcats in the semifinals that went to a penalty shootout.
“It’s cool to have a whole group of us who stayed together through the last three seasons,” senior midfielder Kirby Zak said to gobearkats.com.
“We’re excited about starting our final season together.”
Zak, along with defender Kayla Anderson and forward Tricia Mallory were selected to the 2012 all-preseason Southland Conference women’s team .
Zak is ranked No. 5 in SHSU career goals (17).
Three of those goals were game-winners, including the one that came against McNeese State last year in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Mallory, a junior from Spring, is ranked No. 2 in SHSU career goals (19).
She led the team last year with 8 goals and was named the team’s “Co-Most Valuable Player.”
On the defensive side, Anderson started all 22 games last year and played a total of 2,051 minutes during her career as a Bearkat.
The Bearkats were picked to finish fourth in the conference by coaches in the league.
But they feel that they can finish higher in the league and make a run toward the SLC Post-Season Tournament.
“In our estimation, based on what have… I think we can finish a bit higher,” head coach Tom Brown said.
The Bearkats first game of the season begins tomorrow at 7 p.m as they play host to Texas Southern.
Giving Your Fans Unique Access To Your Business
By Cheval John
The Sevilla Football Club (FC) made history a couple of days ago in Basel, Switzerland.
The Spanish club defeated Liverpool F.C. 3-1 to win their third consecutive UEFA Europa League Championship and also the only club to win the title five times.
Sevilla again qualified for the UEFA Champions League season for next year.
They also have another opportunity to play for the UEFA Super Cup against the winner of the Champions League final that is set to occur next Saturday in Milan, Italy.
Some will probably not make a big deal out of Sevilla’s dominance in the Europa League because it is not as well known to the casual fan like the Champions League.
It is comparable to the fact that North Dakota State, who became the first collegiate team to win 5 consecutive national championships, because many view their competition as inferior due to the level that they play in, the Football Championship Subdivision, (FCS).
But the thing is that Sevilla is one among the most storied soccer teams in this century because they are finding ways to win tough matches.
In this year’s championship, Sevilla was down 1-0 entering the second half.
Then they scored three goals in the second half to steal the title from Liverpool.
This matchup was widely broadcast on television stations around the world especially on Fox Sports, the spanish equivalent Fox Deportes and ESPN Deportes.
For those who wanted to watch this matchup probably did not have access to these channels because they could not afford the cable channels above.
What would have happened if these sports teams give their fans a unique access to championship matchups by using the live streaming apps like Periscope and Snapchat?
I have a feeling that these sports teams would have built a stronger and deeper following like the North Carolina State Wrestling Team.
I heard of how the NC State Wrestling used periscope to give the alumni and fans access to the NCAA Wrestling Championships from Jennifer Hoverstad, livestreamer, Operations and Project Manager for 03.
That is truly awesome because the NC State wrestling team knew that most of their fans would not be able to watch them compete on ESPN3.
Also, the team listened to what the NC State alumni wanted and were able to solve the problem by giving them access to the NCAA championships.
This is why businesses should take the time to listen to what their audience want and not just try to sell to them whenever they have a chance.
When the businesses and sports teams follow the example of the NC State wrestling team and Mrs. Hoverstad, they will be one step closer to being extremely successful in their business.
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