The Chicago Journal

It’s Time To Strategize Up Your Business! Troy Sandidge’s New Book Simplifies How To Achieve Next Level Growth

Seventy percent of businesses will fail because they do not have a good strategy. They are slowed down by complexity. The entire infrastructure of their business is confusing to everyone on their team and their customers. They can’t act decisively because everything is too overly complicated.

To tackle these dilemmas and better the odds for businesses, award-winning marketing strategist Troy Sandidge has spent over three years writing Strategize Up: The Simplified Blueprint To Scaling Your Business to help companies unlock the power of strategy to increase their growth, authority, and profitability.

Known as the Strategy Hacker®, Sandidge has over a decade of experience creating pathways to achieve sustainable and scalable growth for emerging brands to Fortune 100. Troy has generated over $150 million in revenue for companies worldwide by formulating strategies, building systems, and developing solutions.

Recognized as a Top 100 marketing leader, he is featured in Business Insider, Yahoo News, ABC, CBS, NBC, Atlanta Wire, New York Weekly, and named one of Los Angeles Wire’s 30 Under 30. Troy is the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Strategy Hackers, Host of the iDigress Podcast — a Top 0.5% Marketing Business Podcast worldwide — and is an international speaker.

According to Troy Sandidge, “This book will provide you with simple concepts on how to tap into millions of buyers with your story, which social media channels to use to activate and amplify your brand message, and how to incorporate the right mindset and level of momentum necessary to achieve business success. You will learn how to level up your marketing using high-quality content, get (and retain) business during the toughest of times, and go from formulating strategies to building systems to developing solutions to scaling your business for sustainable growth.”

The book also takes readers through Troy’s personal and professional journey as he gives real-life examples and provides practical advice on generating more revenue, building a personal and business brand, and navigating the ebbs and flows in the pursuit of a profitable business.

He expresses how important it was to write a business book rooted in his own experiences as a black man and professional, “As you can imagine, even in the twenty-first century, being a young and ambitious African American is challenging enough and even harder when it comes to business. People need to read a book that makes marketing, business, and growth simple but told through the mind of a black man that is raw, real, authentic, and inspiring that shares knowledge and resources the reader can easily comprehend to go out there and take action to grow their business. I thought it was imperative to showcase that a book by a black voice incorporating black culture and references can effectively teach you how to develop an all-encompassing strategy that will work.”

Sandidge incorporates his three core strategies to serve as the nucleus of the book: D.A.R.T. Marketing Methodology™, C.L.O.V.E.R. Business Framework™, and L.E.A.D.S. Generator Blueprint™.

“My goal in writing this book is to make growth simple no matter the business, industry, profession, or how much experience you have in marketing and sales. I’ve compiled over a decade of experience and insights into a written blueprint that doesn’t make marketing intimidating but instead easy to understand in the hopes to show the reader that growth is possible,” Troy Sandidge said.

The D.A.R.T. Marketing Methodology™ enables growth marketing to perform efficiently and effectively to hit KPIs. Being Direct, Authentic, Resourceful, and Tactical is necessary to produce marketing initiatives and perform marketing efforts to achieve the results you want.

The C.L.O.V.E.R. Business Framework™ maximizes business productivity and systems for sustainability and scalability. Clarity, Leverage, Optimization, Vision + Value, Execution, and Results are the pillars to align for sustainability and scalability within a business.

The L.E.A.D.S. Generator Blueprint™ optimizes sales funnels and selling processes while improving brand positioning and messaging to reach desired acquisition numbers. LeadGen, Engagement, Authority, Demand, and Sales are all needed to measure and achieve adequate sales.

Sandidge says, “If there is nothing else you take away from reading this book, remember these three words: Strategy is Power.”

Strategize Up: The Simplified Blueprint To Scaling Your Business is available for purchase on Amazon.

Follow Troy on Twitter.

Follow Troy on LinkedIn.

Follow Troy on Instagram.Listen to Troy’s iDigress Podcast.

ManyBuild Inc. Launches Game-Changing Mobile App, “The Tinder for Construction”

The construction industry has encountered many significant changes over the years. This time, ManyBuild Inc. is taking things to the next level by launching a mobile app that directly connects clients to contractors in their area simply with swipes, taps and bi-lingual messaging. Founded by Alejandro Daniel Lovera, a local real estate developer in Denver, alongside co-founders Stefan Norton and Peter Taggatt. ManyBuild the mobile app is dubbed as “The Tinder of Construction” because of its ability to swipe right or left and immediately get matched with skilled contractors and other construction resources within their area. The company has built a community of professional and trustworthy contractors composed of English and Spanish speakers. Instead of making contractors pay-per-lead like other platforms, ManyBuild believes that users should only pay when they get jobs awarded and successfully get paid through the app. It’s this business model that will redefine the relationship between general contractors and subcontractors making the process fast, transparent, and accessible.

“Once matched, contractors can start a conversation, schedule a site visit, submit an estimate, sign contracts, and start processing payments all within the same chat,” shared Alejandro Lovera. “Conversations can also be translated from English to Spanish, depending on each user’s language settings,” the CEO added further. 

The ManyBuild Inc. mobile app also aims to add more features to create a “scalable and inclusive prosperity” for the platform. The idea was championed by ManyBuild Inc. COO Stefan Norton. The additional key features, currently being developed and tested by a team of experts, will make the app more user-friendly and efficient. Additionally, the company’s efforts to translate construction job posts into either English or Spanish have increased customer engagement significantly. 

Furthermore, the ManyBuild Inc. mobile app has made it possible for more subcontractors and skilled laborers to enter the general contractor community. It provides an avenue for labor markets that have been ignored to fill the construction labor shortage companies are facing nationwide. 

Leveraging on his background and family history in the construction industry, Alejandro Lovera wanted to create a company culture in construction and tech  that’s based on diversity and inclusivity. Lovera is a third-generation builder and real estate developer. His family is recognized on the island of Aruba as some of the biggest developers, contractors and architects. Lovera’s mother was an architect, while his father was respected for his exceptional hotel remodeling, custom homes and shopping centers. So it did not come as a surprise that Lovera grew up on construction job sites, allowing him to learn tricks of the trade from his early years.

Becoming a dedicated general contractor for local real estate developers, investor, and entrepreneur came naturally for Lovera. He always had a knack for building things, and he put that passion into gaining valuable experience by working with private equity real estate developers in Denver.. 

Soon enough, Lovera learned how to identify, underwrite, acquire, and remodel residential and commercial properties through his own company, Ikon Construction. He built the company from the ground up together with Dan O’Brien and his brother Wyatt Lovera. The trio have successfully completed projects for both local and nationwide corporate clients, including Invitation Homes and Zillow.  

Gaining enough experience and creating a reputable name in the construction industry after a few years, Lovera has continued to build his startup. His aim is to change the construction industry, hence the founding of ManyBuild Inc. 

With its seemingly simple idea, the ManyBuild Inc. mobile app is without a doubt making a relevant contribution to the construction industry. The app is now available for download in both the App Store and Google Play. 

Learn more about Many Build Inc. and how to download the app by visiting: https://links.manybuild.app/Wuj1. To know more about Ikon Construction, check out their website: https://www.ikon-construction.com/

Miami-Bound Crystal Symphony Luxury Cruise Liner Diverts to Bahamas to Avoid Arrest

Photo: NY Post

According to a recent report, the Miami-bound Crystal Symphony luxury cruise liner diverted to the Bahamas on Saturday to avoid arrest by the feds. The luxury cruise ship carrying hundreds of passengers bound for Miami diverted to the Bahamas on Saturday in order to avoid arrest tied to unpaid fuel bills. The said costs of the fuel bills totaled more than $1.2 million.

The Crystal Symphony was set to dock in South Florida on Saturday after a luxurious two-week cruise in the Caribbean, which initially began on the 8th of January. However, instead of returning stateside, the luxury cruise liner docked at the Bahamian port of Bimini, according to the online tracker Cruise Mapper as reported by NPR.

It is said that the detour was prompted by a lawsuit filed against the parent company of Crystal Cruises, Genting Hong Kong. Peninsula Petroleum Far East alleged that the company, which also owns Star Cruises, breached its maritime contract by failing to pay a combined $4.6 million in fuel bills when taking into account the money allegedly owed for all of its cruise operators, according to the claim.

On Wednesday, Crystal Cruises officially announced that it was suspending its operations throughout the end of April. The announcement was made on the same day when the lawsuit was filed in federal court. The next day, US District Judge Darrin Gayles issued a warrant for the ship’s arrest. US Marshals were supposed to board the ship and take it into custody once it reached Miami, but the sudden detour was unprecedented and caught the feds off guard.

“This was an extremely difficult decision, but a prudent one given the current business environment and recent developments with our parent company, Genting Hong Kong,” Crystal Cruises president Jack Anderson said in an interview. A spokesperson for Crystal Cruises told The Post that passengers were given accommodations on the ship on Saturday night and that 300 guests were later transferred to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The luxury cruise line also arranged ground transportation to local airports as well as Port Miami, according to the company. Elio Pace, a musician who was on board the ship, stated on his Facebook page that the captain informed passengers that Genting Hong Kong had gone into liquidation and the ship would cease sailing once it reached Miami. Passengers were told that they needed to disembark and make their own way home.

“Would you believe me if I told you that yesterday, Friday, (the night of my second show) after all arrangements had been set for flights, car hire etc. by all disembarking passengers and crew, we were notified by the captain that the ship was no longer sailing to Miami and was instead diverting to Bimini in the Bahamas where we would arrive tomorrow, Sunday, and disembark from there?” shared Elio Pace.

This news is only the latest in a series of turbulent events for the luxury cruise line industry, an industry that has suffered severe losses tied to the global pandemic and travel lockdowns set in place.

NFT Community Third Eye Apes Showcases Remarkable Hand-Drawn Characters

The artistry of the characters is often one of the most anticipated features of any non-fungible token (NFT). The more detailed, rare, and skilfully crafted they are, the better. When it comes to this very important feature, the Third Eye Apes NFT community did not disappoint with its completely hand-drawn apes, with over 10,000 tokens available for minting when it launched publicly last Jan. 12, 2022. Not only do the apes showcase the impressive works of artist Deion’dre Deveaux, they also carry a distinction that makes them unforgettable. 

For one, the apes all have a third eye, a feature that everyone will certainly remember and pursue to be part of their personal collection. Any avid digital art collector would automatically see that the characters in the community are anything but common. Dubbed as the wisest and most perceptive apes in the metaverse today, the apes come with a lot of value and potential. During the pre-sale phase, each token was sold for 0.1 ETH. The value went up to 0.2 ETH during the public sale the following day. 

“Third Eye Apes is an entity that goes beyond that of a simple profile picture. The collection of unique and collectible art pieces are just the token of a community based upon spiritual principles,” shared the community creators. “Holding a Third Eye Ape grants you access to a group that is dedicated to furthering the Web3 space and giving back to our supporters. We have an extensive roadmap that we are very proud to execute on and allow our community to be a part of a project that will make a change in the world for a very long time to come,” they added. 

The apes are randomly generated, combining more than 150 traits that create special characters, including rare ones. The apes possess engaging and unique skins, facial expressions, jewelry, eyes, hair, headwear, and clothing, to mention a few. There are apes with a droopy look, apes with smirks, open-mouthed apes, bored apes, and indifferent apes. The facial expressions, if anything, are unlike anything ever seen in the metaverse before, which are mostly adorable little token characters with wide smiles. 

Token holders are up for quite a journey within the Third Eye Apes community. They can stake their apes for a native token, one that can be used in a variety of ways, including breeding. Land ownership is also something that holders can look forward to. Holders own 33%, staked off from the rarity of their apes. The lucky holder who possesses the ape with rarity #1 will receive 7% of the total allotment. This puts the ownership of holders at 40%.

Committed to seeing its members enjoy financial freedom, Third Eye Apes will provide its holders with the ability to finance e-commerce stores by simply staking their apes. Additionally, there will be giveaways where the prize will be e-commerce stores to randomly selected Apes. In the long run, the holders will see discussions on community revenue opportunities that will benefit everyone. 

Promising NFT Collection C.U.B Kingdom’s Advocacy for Creating a Strong Community of Entrepreneurs

What makes the crypto space unique is its remarkable accessibility. Essentially, anyone around the world can create projects and initiatives at any given time. This is a game-changing aspect that has undoubtedly helped the industry grow exponentially. In fact, one highly promising NFT project aims to capture the attention of people living all over the world: C.U.B Kingdom.

The collection features one-of-a-kind 3D tigers with more than 150 traits. Each one is carefully handpicked by one of Singapore’s top animation studios. Tigers were chosen as the main character of the artwork as no two tigers have the same stripes. This is an excellent representation of the individuality of each design.

However, even though every avatar is guaranteed to be unlike any other, they all have one thing in common. On their foreheads is the Chinese character that represents “King.” This symbolizes the venture’s intentions to create a solid and tight-knit community of like-minded individuals, which it fondly calls its kingdom.

As the project’s creators have eloquently put it, “We believe that every single one of us is unique, and we can all come together to form a strong pack, embracing each other’s individuality.”

The C.U.B Kingdom has set up social media accounts on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram to streamline announcements and messages to interested holders. It also has a dedicated Telegram group as the primary platform for community discussions and interaction.

In keeping with its goal of creating a solid kingdom, the team also aims to reinvest the funds that the members have entrusted to them. In addition, it is looking at other business verticals through a decentralized autonomous organization or DAO to engage its shareholders actively.

Aside from the exquisite art pieces and impressive dedication to its community, the NFT venture also values innovation. The developers even proudly talked about what makes the collection stand out. 

They shared, “We are the first NFT project in the world who is looking to monetize our very own tokens for internal events and games and establish physical hideouts around the world for our community members to enjoy.”

Because of its impressive utilities and inclusions, C.U.B Kingdom has created a buzz among entrepreneurs, business owners, and creative minds such as developers who are living across the world.

It also hopes to reach out to individuals looking to invest in early startups but who do not have the network or access. Even entrepreneurs and business owners who want to seek advice and funding to expand are welcome to join the community.

When asked why they decided to target these sectors, the team insightfully replied, “We strongly believe that every business has the potential to unleash and grow. However, we acknowledge that many businesses may lack the funds and opportunity to expand. Thus, we hope to step in and lend a helping hand to these businesses by bridging them to the global markets, thereby bringing in more opportunities.”

The C.U.B Kingdom is shaping to be one of the most successful collections in the crypto industry. Given this, NFT enthusiasts, collectors, investors, and other interested parties should be on the lookout as the upcoming project prepares to launch very soon.