Tuan Nguyen of 20DollarBanners Interview

One of the greatest parts of doing these weekly interviews (ok, maybe not weekly yet) is getting to meet (at least by email or phone) some of our favorite Internet Entrepreneurs. The interview Mark did last week with Lee Silber introduced many of you to a great writer, as well as motivational speaker, and maybe some of you will check out some of the books and services that he offers… which might help you to excel in whatever business you are in, or perhaps help you in choosing the right business path for you.

Well today’s interview is going to introduce you to someone who you probably don’t know by name, but I am almost positive you have seen his work many, many times all around the Internet. Today I am interviewing Tuan Nguyen, who owns 20DollarBanners and has been making money online for many years now. He has created banner ads and other graphics for some of the biggest companies on the Internet.

Before I get to the interview, I want you to know that we are running a one week contest (Aug. 26 – Sept. 2) in which you can win a complete banner “Starter Package” ($109 value) just for leaving a comment below. Please click here to read all the rules, as you can greatly increase your chances of winning by completing a couple of other simple tasks. For those of you who read the rules yesterday (Aug. 24th), I have added a couple of things that you can do to earn more entries, so please check the rules again.

Okay, so let’s get on with the interview…

Doug: Tuan, thanks you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule and doing this interview with us.

Tuan: Thanks for having me Doug. You have a great website here, with a lot of information. I’m sure it will be useful to those looking to making a living online.

Doug: Thanks Tuan, I do appreciate that!  So how and when did you open 20DollarBanners and was it successful from the beginning?

Tuan: I started 20DollarBanners back in early 2003 while I was studying. There has been steady year over year growth from the beginning. I started by posting on a public forum that I would design a free banner for 5 different companies, they took up the offer rather fast, and that was where I got my first set of portfolio showcase. After that, I continued posting on the forum offering my service, with my free designs as portfolio, and those companies giving testimonials in my threads, it just started to get busy from there.

Doug: Was this you first online business venture? If it wasn’t, what was your first business and was it successful?

Tuan: 20DollarBanners would have been my 2^nd venture if I remember correctly. I tried starting a web hosting service prior to 20DollarBanners, but that was a flop. It was, and still is, one of the most competitive industries on the internet, with big companies paying affiliates up to $120 per referral, newcomers simply can’t afford to compete. After 3 months, I sold the business along with the website and the few lonely souls that signed up for the service.

Doug: How many banners do you think you have created over the years? I imagine it has to be a lot.

Tuan: A brief glance at my folders, I can estimate that I had created just over 35,000 banners on my own, and in total, over 50,000 have been designed by 20Dollarbanners. You can see some of my work in the portfolio section of my site. I have not updated the portfolio since 2006, so it’s a bit outdated. I’m planning to update it soon (in this case, ‘soon’ means 3 years and still counting)

Doug: Do you do all the designing yourself or do you have a staff, and if so… how many designers do you have working for you?

Tuan: I did all the designs myself up until just over a year ago. Too much work was coming in and 16+ hour day couldn’t handle it all so I got some help. Including myself, there are currently 3 of us working on banners and other design projects.

Doug: Do you have a lot of repeat customers? I see many banners in your portfolio from a lot of the same companies.

Tuan: We do have a lot of repeat customers, in fact, a large portion of our work comes from repeat customers, ranging from those who came back after a year to customers who order on a weekly basis.

Doug: Where did you obtain your graphic design skills… did you go to school to learn them, or were you self-taught?

Tuan: I got introduced to Photoshop in one of the subjects I was studying at Uni. The course didn’t teach us much more other than editing a few graphics for a project we were doing.

It got me interested so I started collecting and reading Photoshop tutorials to learn how to use the program, and created a site call pslover.com along the way.

The so called ‘skill’ is just from experience. Due to the nature of my work, I deal directly with many internet marketers and managers, who know what works and what doesn’t on advertising materials, some would tell me what to write and what to emphasize on a banner ad, some would tell me what colors and call-to-action to use, so from that, I’ve learnt how banners should be designed to capture user’s attention and deliver a message. With this experience, the designs and styles of my banners also changed over time. If I still design the way I did in 2003, I don’t think I would still be in business.

Doug: What other online ventures have you started over the years, and how have they done for you?

Tuan: Through 20dollarbanners, I have received many other work requests, from magazine ad designs to full website development. I don’t specifically promote these services, but I accept these jobs upon request.

I have tried other online ventures, such as affiliate marketing, developing websites, and even domaining, but due to the workload that keeps coming through, I never really have the time to put in the required efforts to see any real results. There are definitely many ways to make money online as long as you do the required research and put in 110%. It’s not as easy as many of the overnight success stories you’ve read.

Doug: How is your Page Peel and eBook Cover design businesses doing? They seem like the perfect addition to your banner business. Do you offer any other graphic design services?

Tuan: The page peel is going great and quite a popular product. We developed a custom backend for our corner peel so all you need to do is copy and paste 1 line of code to your website to get it working, while advanced users can edit the scripts and customize the installation with the provided files.

Funny enough, I get more ecover orders through 20dollarbanners than the ecover site itself. I never promoted the ecover site, except having a link from 20DollarBanners.

We work with some of the big guys in internet marketing, so we do a lot of ecover as well as minisite designs.

Doug: Do you have any big plans for future online projects that you can share with our readers?

Tuan: At the moment I accept all design and development work through 20DollarBanners which is not very efficient or professional. We are working on creating specialized websites for each design service we offer, including website headers, template designs, minisite designs, and website development.

One of the other sides to online ventures I would like to focus on is website development. I currently run a few other web sites, and am looking to launch a few more in the coming months. My goal is to have a network of high traffic sites.

Doug: Any tips for new graphic designers just starting out? It’s a very competitive business, so you most know some secrets.

Tuan: Build your client base and keep them happy. It does not matter if they have a $20 project or $2000 project with you, keep them all happy. The $20 customer could bring in more than $2000 worth of referrals in the end. Your customers may bring you more work and referrals than most other advertising methods, and they’re free and effective.

Doug: Do you do much marketing or is mostly word-of-mouth nowadays? Was it always that way?

Tuan: I only started advertising the last couple of months. But before that, our main source of work is through word of mouth and our organic search listing on Google for some targeted keywords. During slow periods, I would post on some forums offering the service and some discounts. I was never short of work so marketing wasn’t a main focus. I started exploring different marketing methods and still haven’t found any that brings as many customers as word of mouth referrals.

Doug: I noticed you have an Affiliate Program and Reseller program. Can you tell us a little about each, as our readers are always looking for ways to make money online?

Tuan: I’m sure most people here would have an idea what an affiliate program is, so I won’t go into details. We offer affiliates 15% commission for each order they refer, as well as repeat orders from that customer. The program is free to join.

The reseller program is a new offering we are still testing. It is a private label reseller service where as a reseller, you can offer your visitors banner design service through your own website. The customer place orders and manage their banners all through your own website, 20DollarBanners will handle all the transactions and design work behind the scenes. It is ideal for website owners or web services who want to add this service to their existing offerings and make some money on top of it.

How it works is each reseller has a base price, which is what we charge, and a charge price, which is the price they charge their customer. For example, if your base price is $10 a banner, and you charge your customer $15, your profit is $5 for that banner. Because our prices are very competitive, resellers can afford to add some markup to our prices and still give fairly good pricing. Resellers can also target a completely different marketing and charge much more. I’ve seen places charging $95 for a single banner.

Doug: Any last words of wisdom you would like to give our readers in regards to making money online?

Tuan: Despite all the overnight online millionaire stories you’ve read and heard about, making money online is not as easy as it’s made out to be. Avoid too good to be true offers and do your research before committing to any online ventures. Try and find what it is that you enjoy doing and see if you can bring it to the online world. For example, if you enjoy drawing or photography, you can start an illustration service or sell your photos. It’s much more rewarding to do what you enjoy rather than trying to enjoy what you do.

That’s it for the interview. What did you think? To me, Tuan is the PERFECT EXAMPLE of a true Internet Entrepreneur. He found a niche that he really enjoys, and he works very hard to provide a quality product and exceptional service, and is building on his success… which has paid off nicely for him.

If there is nothing else you take from this interview, always remember what the last thing he said was and try and follow his advice… “It’s much more rewarding to do what you enjoy rather than trying to enjoy what you do.”

Last couple things… don’t forget to enter the Contest to win a complete banner “Starter Package” ($109 value) just for leaving a comment below. Please read the Rules first.

Tuan has also graciously offered a 10% discount to any of our readers who would like to get some individual custom banners designed for their website. To get this discount, all you need to do is type in the coupon code, “mmodotcom” when you place your order on his 20DollarBanners website.

Again, I want to thank Tuan very much for the great interview, as well for the AWESOME Prize Package he gave us, and for the discount he is extending to our readers.

*** One last Contest Modification – Instead of listing what actions you took to enter the contest in the comments section below, please list them on the contest page instead . We would like to keep the comments below to be only about the interview. Thanks!

Lee Silber – Business Spotlight Interview

Lee Silber is one of my favorite authors, because his books are innovative, entertaining, highly motivational and easy to read. The timing for this article is perfect so I can introduce his latest book “Bored Games” which will become available August 18th. Lee is not only an accomplished author, but he also owns several businesses, travels the country hosting workshops and seminars, and somehow manages to have a happy family life with his wife and two children.

I asked Lee to answer a few questions that I thought would be helpful to our readers, and here are the questions and responses. There is also a link to his website if you would like more information about his books, workshops, seminars, or to sign up for his free newsletter (This is a no-brainer!). Thanks again Lee for being our inaugural Business of the Week spotlight!

Mark: I loved your book “Rock to Riches”.  Rather than just relying on your publisher to sell the book, how affective has adding online sales been to the success of this and your other books?

Lee: Bookstores are NOT a great place to sell books, believe it or not. For one thing, there are tens of thousands of titles to choose from and they are not organized that well. Plus, they only stock certain titles. Online booksellers are a blessing for the book buyer and the bookseller because it’s easier for the book buyer to find what they need, and online booksellers “carry” more titles (which they order as needed, so they have very little risk.) For many authors this point is mute because they can’t get their books in traditional bookstores to begin with, so online booksellers are key to their success.

Mark: What creative methods have you used to add sales through your website CreativeLee.com?

Lee: I think the best button on a website is the “FREE” button. By offering something for free to capture a potential purchaser’s e-mail address you have built up good will, given them a sample of your great work, and have a way to follow-up. So many times a person has asked for and received a free sample of a book or product and turned around and placed a large order that same day.

Mark: Your products are not only informative, but they are very entertaining and highly motivational. What tips could you share with other writers/bloggers for starting a business that would be helpful?

Lee: Businesses exist for one reason and one reason only. If you were thinking to turn a profit, you would only be half right. The bottom line is the bottom line for the business owner, but for the consumer the reason they buy is because you solve a problem for them. The saying, “Find a problem and solve it” makes sense because it’s true. No matter what the product or service is, it must make someone’s life or business better. Focus on figuring out what that is and then make sure that is the emphasis in any and all marketing efforts.

Mark: CreativeLee is the perfect name to describe how you get your message across to your readers. How do you keep coming up with such one of a kind ideas?

Lee: I made a list of a hundred possible names for my business. Guess what Creative-Lee Speaking was on that list. Exactly, number one. Most of us have great ideas; we just need to trust our instincts. Confidence in your creativity is the key to coming up with clever solutions. I wanted a name that said what I did but also was memorable. I wanted a name that when I told someone what I did, they would want to know more. So far, so good.

Mark: Music is definitely a passion of yours, and it seems fitting that your book focused on Rock and Roll as the main theme. How did you gain access to so many different artists in so many different fields of music for your stories? Were there any artists that you wish you could interview, but couldn’t? Which story was your favorite?

Lee: Every time we went to a manager, publicist, or record label to request an interview with a famous rock star (Steven Tyler is a good example) we were given one excuse after another why they couldn’t do the interview. But, when we were able to name drop and say we were referred by a person who knew the rocker, we were in. It really is who you know. What’s interesting is how we overlook the obvious. Our friends and family know people who know people who can open a lot of doors. It’s worthwhile to let the people around you know what you are doing and want to do so they can help.

Mark: Let’s say I wanted to become a motivational speaker, but had no idea how to get started. What would you recommend I do to start a career similar to the path you followed?

Lee: There are three ways to build a career as a paid professional presenter. The first is write a book that becomes a best seller, or wins rave reviews in a particular field. That’s the fastest way. Another is to do something that is so amazing people want to hear about it. To make sure enough people know about your amazing story, getting your name in print and on radio and television is important. In fact, fame of any kind can lead to lucrative speaking opportunities. Finally, there are seminar companies that pay you to give talks on topics they offer. You get to travel all over the world and make money training and teaching people skills.

Mark: What do you do once you have completed writing a book? Do you jump into promotions, or move onto the next book? How much feedback to you get from your viewers? Do you use a blog or network of your peers for inspiration on your projects?

Lee: To get a book from an idea, to a book deal, to a completed manuscript, to a bookstore takes a LONG time. But that’s only the beginning. The promotional part is the most important phase. I will spend weeks just on magazine and radio interviews, in-store events, and anything else that will help get the word out. That doesn’t mean I dislike this time. In fact, I love talking up one of my titles. It takes passion to get published, and that passion carries over into promotion or publicity.

Mark: The success of Amazon’s Kindle is growing. Are your books available on this format?

Lee: This is an interesting question. Kindle could (and I say “could” because we are at a crossroads) be the next big thing. The problem for Amazon is the iPhone is so popular and can do the same thing, it’s keeping the Kindle from becoming a phase and may make it an (expensive) fad. We’ll see.

Mark: What are some of your favorite websites that you like to visit on a regular basis?

Lee: Being a writer and speaker I find information fascinating so of course Google and Wikipedia are the best.

Mark: What do you think are some of the keys that have lead to your success? I am sure our readers would really love to know this.

Lee: I’ve been asked this question a lot lately and I think I have narrowed it down to two things. The first is, finish what you start and do what you say you are going to do. So many people have great ideas, but so few follow through. If it were simply talent or intelligence that determined success, well, I would be pretty average. What I do is go for it, no matter what the odds or how hard it seems. The saying “When there’s a will, there’s a way,” is my motto. And if I didn’t have a will, there’s no way I would do something. I pick projects I am passionate about and that helps me persist even when it looks like it’s impossible.

The second thing that motivates me, and this will surprise people, is the drive to not be average. I am sure a psychologist could have a field day with this one, but the will to be the best (or at least better than most) is a powerful force when harnessed and used for greater good. I truly want to help others and make a difference, but I also have a drive to be the best author in my field, the best speaker at a conference, and the best person I can be. It works for me.

Again, we want to thank Lee for taking the time out of his busy schedule to help with our first Business Spotlight interview. Please make sure and stop by his website, “CreativeLee.com” and learn more about about him and the products and services he has to offer.

Also, if you could please leave a comment below letting us know what you think of our first interview. Did you like the format and the type of questions asked? Our plan is to personalize the questions for each interview so we can get the information our reader would like to know. Hopefully we did that here.