Member Since 2015
OneIMS
Chicago Area
Solomon Thimothy is the co-founder of OneIMS, a Chicago-based inbound marketing agency. Recently, he founded Clickx, a marketing intelligence platform for small and medium sized businesses and agencies. Solomon began his career in marketing over ten years ago with a focus on helping businesses grow their online presence and thrive in a digital world. He’s been featured in major publications including Inc., Forbes, Huffington Post, FastCompany and more. Follow him on Twitter for daily insight at @sthimothy.
The modern world has made it really easy for anyone to get started on a side hustle. In fact, most entrepreneurs get started with some sort of side gig. Transitioning those side hustles into standalone businesses that can financially support them usually begins with understanding how to make a significant amount of profit, but not all side hustle ideas are lucrative enough to evolve into something financially stable.
Businesses never stay the same size forever. An entrepreneur may yearn for the early days when their business was just a handful of people. But over time, businesses find great success and become entities that may span several offices and regions.
Investing in your leadership skills is incredibly important for building a business.
Members of Young Entrepreneur Council offer some effective ways to keep users coming back to your mobile app.
Technology has given us a plethora of options for speeding up our workflows. From automation software to artificial intelligence chatbots, we can leverage a significant amount of tech to make demands on our time much less burdensome.
Members of Young Entrepreneur explain how hands-on CEOs can get more comfortable with delegation.
Social media is a place for anyone to express their opinions and beliefs, and often that means talking about controversial topics. Sometimes, a business may post something that sparks a heated debate, or its social media followers might bring up these touchy issues on the business’s page, leaving the brand to come up with a response that won't offend or alienate its audience.
Self-doubt can be debilitating for some individuals. If you're trying to advance your career, the belief that you’re not good enough can quickly put an end to those aspirations. It can make you feel less confident about your abilities, which in turn can make you seem less trustworthy and dependable to others. If you can't believe in yourself, will anyone else?
It's no secret that the holidays are among the most hectic times of the year for businesses. Everyone wants to close off the year well, and the holiday season makes for some fantastic business opportunities, but staff also looks forward to spending more time with loved ones and away from work.
One of the worst things for a budding entrepreneur is to realize that the problem they're solving already has a solution. The business environment has diversified a lot, but the low cost of entry has now made it easy for others to develop similar ideas.
Programming is highly in demand in today's digital-first world. Try these tools, courses and platforms recommended by business leaders.
It’s a myth that successful leaders never make mistakes – even the best leaders have slip-ups from time to time. It’s crucial to learn from those mistakes so they aren’t repeated and equally important to be transparent with your employees when remedying the situation.
Email marketing is still among the most effective ways to target an audience. However, for email marketing to be successful, you need to encourage people to sign up for your email list. This step might seem like a simple task, but recently consumers are extra-protective about their email addresses. Individuals have been flooded with spam and have become a lot more cautious about who they share their information with.
If you've been around the marketing world at all lately, you'd realize how much of a game-changer social media can be for a business. Setting up posts, scheduling them to come out, and engaging with those who follow your social media feeds can help you cultivate your audience.
It’s already well-known that entrepreneurs spend a lot of their time working on getting their businesses off the ground and keeping them solvent. It's not uncommon to hear a business owner working 50 or 60 hours a week. Many of us know how 10- and 11-hour workdays feel and the negative impact this amount of work can have on one’s mental and physical health. To address the issue, busy professionals need to find a way to work smarter and gradually reduce the number of hours spent to run the business. That’s why we asked 12 entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following:
We all already know that LinkedIn is a great place to connect with current customers, potential leads and other entrepreneurs. I’ve met some of my best partners through LinkedIn conversations. But what about LinkedIn as an organic inbound lead generator?
Everyone online shopper has added items to their cart, only to close out of the website before completing the purchase. This behavior has led to an average online cart abandonment rate of 60% to 80% for many e-commerce sites.
Trying to get people interested in your startup may seem like fighting a losing battle. The early stages of a startup have several challenges to getting customers involved in the business. Advertising to a large market can be expensive, and you have to figure out if your strategy will even work with your core audience. Standard marketing campaigns can be useful, but audience responses can be lackluster for something they've seen dozens of businesses try before.
New entrepreneurs sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that they can make their hobbies profitable through their business. When you're putting together a company, the first thing you may want to consider is whether you're doing this as a passion or for profit.
These 20 entrepreneurs discuss the best features for remote management of a displaced workforce.
Influencers are the newest way of reaching out to social media audiences. Unlike traditional advertising, these influencers have their own goals and ambitions. Influencers thrive on building relationships between themselves and their audiences. Microinfluencers tend to have fewer followers but an even more close-knit community. In many cases, this closer relationship makes it easier for them to convince users of their perspective. When dealing with micro-influencers, businesses should understand what makes this particular relationship work so well. To help, we asked 13 entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following:
Staying motivated as an entrepreneur takes a lot of effort. In several situations, business owners find themselves struggling to point themselves in the right direction, whether in their profession or in their personal life. In both of these cases, your inspiration dictates the drive you have to accomplish your goals.
As a business owner, it’s important to know who your competitors are so you can keep up with the market. However, it’s just as beneficial to show your support for other small businesses, regardless of their industry. This is especially true in today’s economic climate, when many entrepreneurs are struggling to stay afloat.
Members of Young Entrepreneur Council share some creative ideas for tech companies that want to leverage more user-generated content.
When a business hires an executive, it expects to get someone who can perform in managerial positions. Because leaders are such a vital part of a company's operations, choosing the right candidate for an executive-level position is even more crucial than in other departments.
Members of Young Entrepreneur Council offer suggestions for entrepreneurs that want to change up their mobile ad campaigns.
When set up correctly and with the right content in place, you can bring new prospects through the buying process easily and efficiently.
Some entrepreneurs who want to scale their companies and fast-track their growth hire a business coach to help them get there. These professionals often have years of business experience themselves and can help you take your business to new heights with their insights.
Young Entrepreneur Council members share some upcoming tech trends they believe will have an important impact on business leaders.
When you set up your startup and start hiring your first few people to staff, not all of them will be tech workers. Non-tech professions such as sales, marketing, etc. are also crucial to the success of a product. Some companies don't offer these hires any equity, but this may be a huge mistake. You can lose talented professionals if you don't sweeten the deal enough.
With the sheer amount of productivity hacks and life hacks on the market today, it's easy to get overwhelmed. Even with all of these, it can be hard to figure out which ones work and which ones are just myths.
Members of Yount Entrepreneur Council offer their tips for effectively growing a service-based company.
For online businesses, a high-performing website that encourages engagement and conversions is the key to successful growth. It often takes time to build up a steady stream of website visitors and consistent buyers. However, there are some things you can do to help accelerate the process.
If your company has a blog and social media presence, you know how challenging it can be to keep up with the constant demand for new content. Recycling and updating existing content is a great way to put a fresh spin on what you’ve previously published without the hassle of coming up with a brand-new idea.
17 leaders from YEC share the tools and processes they use and why they work.
Entrepreneurs should all know by now how nerve-wracking delivering a pitch to investors can be. If you've invested a lot of your time and effort into designing a business idea, you want to get the point across to investors effectively. As with anything, practicing your delivery can go a long way toward making a steadier presentation. That’s why we asked 13 successful entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following question:
As the business grows, saying yes to clients may not always be the best idea.
Young Entrepreneur Council members share some of the most exciting trends and developments they've seen in digital marketing this year.
When you’re overworked, it’s easy to burn out. The extra hours and workload can cause you to become stressed and ultimately less productive at work.
“Thought leadership” is a big buzzword in the business world right now, and it’s easy to see why it’s become such an important focus for leaders. When others look to you for your expertise and insight, you can become a leading, recognized voice in your industry.
Disagreements and conflicts are inevitable in the workplace. As a leader, it’s your job to mediate any issues between workers so your company culture remains positive and productive. However, this is often easier said than done: It takes a truly empathetic and effective leader to listen to each side and help both parties come to a mutually-beneficial solution.
Members of Young Entrepreneur Council explain how companies can optimize their mobile shopping experience.
It’s easy to have an “always-on” mentality when you’re an entrepreneur. You own a business that depends on you to survive, so you never really get a day off – right?
Plans are crucial to success in any endeavor. It doesn't matter if that project is building a business or writing a book. Without planning, even the most well-intentioned projects can hit a roadblock and stop. Developing a success plan takes time and effort. It also requires a certain level of experience, and newcomers are unfortunately hit with this realization after they start their projects.
Businesses thrive on interaction with large clients. They form the most significant inflow of money to the enterprise and help you meet your obligations from month to month. With so many companies closing down, it's not far-fetched to think that one of your massive clients might face bankruptcy. When that happens, you will need to have a clear plan in place to recover any overdue payments and soften the blow until you find new customers. That’s why we asked 12 entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following:
Brand loyalty forms a core concept of marketing in the 21st century. In a paradigm shift, thanks to better interactivity with consumers, brand loyalty is now easier to achieve than ever before. With a medium where the brand can interact directly with clients in the form of social media, all a company has to do is use their social media presence cleverly. Once they leverage their following and provide value to the audience, brand loyalty is sure to follow. To help, we asked 14 successful entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following question:
Building your brand is an important part of running a business. To truly connect with your audience, you must define and express who you are and your goals as a business. Often, the best way to do this is by telling your story.
Being part of a creative team is an exciting job. However, it’s difficult to always be in an innovative, inspired mindset. Often, creatives experience burnout and roadblocks that hinder their performance.
When you start to get complacent, you risk taking a step back from growing your company.
In today's world, every business knows that consistent, quality content is the key to engaging consumers. Publishing giants like BuzzFeed have mastered the art of drawing people in with engaging headlines and interactive features, and encouraging repeat visitors with well-researched, valuable articles.
When you're negotiating a deal, misinterpreted tone or poorly-chosen words could ruin an otherwise-successful conversation. Sometimes you may not know even which phrases might turn a deal sour. That's why we asked 16 members of Young Entrepreneur Council the following question:
Every job candidate’s goal is to stand out from the rest. However, it’s not enough to talk about your education and work experiences, which may be very similar to other qualified applicants. Great candidates shine by saying things that are truly unique.
User experience (UX) informs your consumer's overall impression of your business. Like all other first impressions, you need to make this one count, or else your buyer might just consider going elsewhere. Unfortunately, many young businesspeople underestimate the importance of user experience.
The internet of things (IoT) has given consumers and businesses the ability to make their homes and offices "smart." Because IoT devices can communicate and exchange data with one other, they have vast potential for streamlining workflows and making us more efficient. However, with all the data each internet-connected device collects, stores and uses, there's also an inherent security risk.
Work with your team to ensure you’re using their skills and meeting their expectations.
A strong daily routine can make all the difference in a team's productivity. Things like creating a to-do list at the start of each day and blocking off time for "deep thinking" work often help people get organized and feel more focused throughout the workday.
Employees who work on small teams may need to play multiple roles to ensure everything runs smoothly. With such limited resources, you may not be able to have a dedicated full-time marketing person to help you reach your full potential as a brand. That's why we asked members of Young Entrepreneur Council the following question:
Getting any business off the ground requires sufficient capital. However, all the financial stress doesn't have to fall on you as the entrepreneur – there are other ways to secure funding for your startup without assuming 100% of the risk yourself. That's why we asked the members of Young Entrepreneur Council the following question:
As a leader, you know your workplace dynamic directly impacts employee morale and, in turn, your bottom line. No matter how great your company culture might be, there is always room for improvement. But to make impactful changes, you’ll have to first understand which areas warrant the most attention.
Stress is common when you’re in a management position. With countless tasks to complete, employees to manage and business operations to oversee, it’s no surprise many leaders end up feeling overwhelmed at one point or another.
Winning a business or industry award can be a great honor for your business, as well as a highly effective PR opportunity. However, to be considered, you'll first need to submit an application to be reviewed by the award committee. To help you with this process, we asked the members of Young Entrepreneur Council the following question:
A strong creative team can help your business develop great ideas and soar to new heights. However, simply having the most talented or innovative people on board isn’t enough. They must not only be willing to make unconventional moves, but they must also place trust in their other team members.
Business plans are more than just documents outlining your steps to launching and growing your startup. This plan acts as a map throughout the entire process, and helps you figure out what to do when you face roadblocks or wrong turns.
Entrepreneurs can be so busy in today's business world that they lose sight of themselves. Introspection has an essential place in an entrepreneur's mindset. Understanding one's goals and motivations can help one come to terms with what one wants out of life.
Trust is essential in a team, especially in times of change. Leaders need to believe employees will carry out their tasks properly, and employees need to believe heir leaders are taking them in the right direction. But trust between people isn’t a given -- it has to be earned.
In today's always-on, digital-first world, consumers increasingly expect companies to offer fast and convenient channels for customer support. To this end, many brands now offer live chat so customers can reach them faster than an email or phone call.
As the up-and-coming generation of consumers, Gen Z has become a hot target demographic for many brands. This generation of true digital natives is even more entrenched in the world of technology than the millennials who came before them. Therefore, companies that want to reach them need to go all-in on social media, Gen Z's preferred place to "hang out" online.
Leading isn’t an easy job, especially during difficult times.
18 leaders from YEC discuss what elements business leaders should keep in mind before selling their company.
Even after you've attained the coveted status of CEO, never stop learning and improving.
Today’s consumers demand transparency and honesty in brands they buy from. They expect their voices to be heard, which means attracting and retaining customers is all about listening to your audience.
It’s important to consider the interests of your consumers and, more importantly, implement their feedback into your products or business model. To help you do this, we asked a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members for their best advice on how to truly listen to your customers. Their best responses are below.
If prompted, there's at least one employee that business owners can point to definitively and state that they are one of the most high-performing hires at the company. However, these high-performing employees sometimes go through issues that can put them off their game. For the company, this can impact performance and efficiency.
Each day is different for each person. For entrepreneurs, a string of disappointments or rejections can lead to a significant impact on your psyche and your confidence. Many business coaches maintain that the best way to keep motivated is to stay positive and to keep a firm sight of what your goals are and how you intend to attain them. Ensuring that this works hinges on your confidence. These three things are essential contributors to your overall motivation.
Invest time into and effort identifying your life vision, just as you do your company vision.
Put in the work to be at the top of the "class" in business.
Pay-per-click campaigns can make it easier for you to appear in front of the right consumers.
Everyone feels down from time to time -- especially when you're dealing with the stress of running a business. Those negative feelings can make you question everything.
While it's OK to feel down, the best way to relieve that feeling is to actively seek out positive thoughts. That's why we asked Young Entrepreneur Council members what they do in moments of doubt to help remind them of their potential. Ask yourself the following questions to regain your confidence during a mental or emotional rut.
Having an active social media presence is a great way for leaders to grow their business. It helps you establish your personal brand and authority, as well as reach a wider audience of potential customers. However, it also requires you to expend time and energy, which can be especially draining for an introverted or introspective business owner.
Fortunately, you can use your introspection to your advantage while engaging on social media. Below , 10 Young Entrepreneur Council members share their best tips for introverted leaders who want to stay active on social media without burning out.
As an entrepreneur, you’ve likely encountered various risks and obstacles while juggling a myriad of responsibilities. With all these challenges, it’s common for self-doubt to strike at some point in your career. However, it's important to not let those negative perceptions and fears get the best of you.
Many members of Young Entrepreneur Council have felt the sting of uncertainty throughout their careers -- and they’ve figured out how to conquer it. Read on for their best practical tips for banishing self-doubt and growing from the experience.
Great companies know that they're selling the brand itself, not the product or service.
Your business brand is separate — though still closely related — to your personal brand.
Company culture is the foundation of how a business functions. When a business hires new employees, there can be a tendency for those newcomers to shape company culture through their personalities. On rare occasions, these people can be charismatic enough to change company culture completely. If the changes benefit the organization, then this might be a good thing.
A UVP is not a slogan, catchphrase or positioning statement.
Online videos are one of the most successful marketing materials that a business has at its disposal. However, crafting an online video to draw people in takes a bit more skill than merely recording something and adding branding to it.
13 Great Methods of Expressing Gratitude
Simply claiming you're "the best" isn't enough to stand out from the crowd.
Ask yourself these questions to determine if your messaging is on the right track.
Consumers don’t just want to find you online. They want to be able to interact and conduct business on their own time and on their own terms.
OneIMS is results-driven online marketing firm that successfully manages all aspect of inbound marketing campaigns for clients in various industries. We help our clients create demand for their products and services, generate sales-qualified leads, and nurture those leads through the buying process until they become paying customers and brand ambassadors. We strategize and execute integrated marketing campaigns that produce results based on clients’ business goals and marketing objectives. We use proven methodology and systematic process to drive performance and optimal ROI. At OneIMS, we understand that no one knows your products and markets like you do. That’s why we collaborate with your industry experts to develop relevant and remarkable content that resonates with your ideal prospects and buyers. We then maximize the reach of such digital assets through appropriate channels that will increase your brand visibility. Our objective is to attract and engage potential clients and elicit a desirable action. Your success is our passion. Our clients love working with us because we are committed to delivering them with predictable and measurable results while maintaining high level of integrity and transparency. We are a Certified Partner of HubSpot and Google AdWords. OneIMS is also the recipient of many awards, including the “Best in Search” title from TopSEOs.
Marketing & Advertising