it makes it so much better to do homework when you're at home. internet essentials from comcast. helping to bridge the digital divide. dream of financing your life's passion with a profitable career? this is mazing business woman has done just that, called the shark whisperer, her thriving scuba business gets people up close to the underwater creature she loves while funding her conservation work. swim with the shark in hawaii on this special edition of "your business." small businesses are

revitalizing the economy and american express open is here to help. that's why we are proud to present "your business" on msnbc. hi, everyone, i'm jj ramberg and welcome to "your business." the show dedicated to helping your small business grow. talk about heading into the shark tank. a small business owner we met in hawaii does that every single day. though there's no tank. when she says sharks, she's not talking about investors. she's talking about real sharks. a few years ago, conservationist ocean ramsey had an idea to introduce people to the animal she loves. today she's got a thriving business. the idea of getting this close

to a shark might be a nightmare for most people but for ocean ramsey, the co-founder of hawaii-based one ocean diving it's a dream come true. >> the first time i ever saw a shark, i was really young. i remember seeing it and thinking, wow, this animal is so beautiful and graceful. i actually ended up falling after it. i think i've been in love with them ever since. >> ocean is a conservationist focused on sharks. she's been called the shark whisperer, she's been called crazy. just look at this photo. that's ocean swimming with a great white. >> what makes you love this animal that so many other people fear? >> i get to see them on a day-to-day basis. i get to see the reality of them, how incredible they are. it really inspires me to stick up for them. >> a wol-class researcher, ocean and her partner created a nonprofit called water ep spired to study sharks. they quickly learned they needed to do more. so they came up with a plan. start another company, a

for-profit venture which takes people like me and my fellow adventurers, swming with the sharks. notice there are no cages. unlike most shark swimming tours, with this one you are up close and personal. >> that's crazy. you're on the boat and you see that iconic picture of the fin. that dorsal fin. instead of running away from this, i'm about to dive into this which goes against any single thing anyone has ever told me to do. >> exactly. >> ocean and juan figured that giving people this experience and having them come away with it with all their limbs intact would do more to help sharks than any research they could publish. >> do you feel differently about sharks than you did before you went down there? >> yes. >> really? >> i didn't get eaten. >> you can't go diving with a shark and see how amazing they are and not want to do something to help them.

the way hollywood generally portrays sharks is similar to that blockbuster "jaws." it's all teeth, exciting, sensational, demonized. >> i think of one drop of blood in the water, if i cut myself, there will be blood and the sharks will come after me. >> that's exactly what they're trying to sell. i can tell you i've been in the water with over 200 sharks and my leg has been bleeding. >> but shark attacks are real. two kids were recently bit off the coast of north carolina and so ocean spends the entire boat ride out to the site explaining the rules. she says if you follow her instructions, the sharks will not bother you and most shark attacks are a case of mistaken identity where sharks believe you are prey because of how they see you in the water. >> the ocean is the shark's environment, their home. when you enter the ocean, kind of factor in and play by their rules. >> ocean and juan use the funds from one ocean diving to pay for

their work for ocean inspired. >> there's no way we could fund the work we want to do without having that business kind of helping to fuel the conservation work. >> i love the business model of it, actually being able to -- we'd have to go out there and get our data anyways. >> as much as they feel one ocean diving contributes to water inspired, it works the other way, too. >> i've seen operations throughout the world that utilize sharks and draw on sharks to generate income. it could grow without the conservation but the passion thattive droos me and ocean to go hard every single day is to help and benefit the animals. >> they've been savvy about the way they've gotten the word out about the company. their marketing expenses to date, almost nothing. >> we don't have a budget for marketing. i know through another girl in our conservation group, social media is an extremely powerful

today. >> juan is a photographer. ocean encourages people to share the photos people get. do you encourage people to use their social media. >> we actually ask them if they post pictures or videos, say something nice about sharks. >> they could use all the media they could possibly get. >> utilizing hash tags and optimization. we give them the tools. >> it's how they get most of their business. right now, too much business to keep up with. >> juan and i both work seven days a week and we get maybe four or five hours of sleep. i'm currently 250 texts behind. that's just text messages. that's not voicemails, e-mails or anything else. it's a lot. it's go, go, go, go, go. >> they've had to try and balance the part of the job they love with the part that is less

fun. >> you know, challenging stuff for me i think would be the paperwork. >> paperwork. paperwork. >> as they grow, they hope to expand their team but for now, they both feel everything they have to do is worth it, just to be out there. >> i can get up at 5:00 in the morning and go to bed late at night. it's my way of giving back. and i think it's successful because we are so passionate about it and willing to work hard for it. it's our life. it doesn't feel like work when you love what you do. for a lot of owners, the sharks taking a bite out of their business is their competition and the great white shark of competitors for small businesses are often the corporate giants. so whether you're selling a product or a service, it takes a little something extra to get someone to come to your business instead of a well-known big brand. and that challenge can be particularly daunting in a small commune. one like aspen, colorado. once a small rural enclave, it's now a glamorous ski resort with a booming luxury market.

for some of the town's small independent real estate companies, there was only one way to compete again the biggies of their industry, join forces. 40 years ago, aspen, colorado was a hard-to-reach back water, far away from the world of big business and international tourism. >> it was much smaller, much more intimate. businesses were all small, the shops were small. it had a wonderful scale and feeling. >> that's when bill sterling first arrived and opened up his own independent real estate business called sterling homes incorporated. >> i started it with a borrowed loan from the bank of about $5,000. and that's how it all began in 1978. >> b.j. adams is another long-time aspen-based independent real estate company owner. >> i thought, well, i'm going to strike out. i was young enough, naive enough to think i could do it and i just started off on my own thinking i could do this better. >> they call to aspen for the ski slopes and started selling property on the side more than

three decades ago. >> it's evolved, it's become a luxury market. now we're selling people luxurious homes like this. >> donette smith is bill's partner. she loves the small-town world of aspen real estate. >> these houses are gorgeous. and they're enormous and on this amazing hill. you can see the gondola in the background. what does something like this cost? >> which one? the one we're in, it would probably sell for about 9 million, 10 million. across the street, 15 million to 20 million. >> with millions of dollars at stake and a growing international clientele, it's no surprise that big companies took notice. local independents like bill's sterling homes, bj's bj adams & company and dale's properties of aspen now face stiff competition from big-time brokers like christy's,

sotheby's and coldwell banker. how do they compete with the deep pockets of this big brand? >> i got the price reduction. >> the answer was to form a single four-person agency. >> did you feel like you had to merge in order to compete with some of the other stuff that was happening in aspen? >> yes. >> it was time. >> i think we needed to figure out ways we could operate with a critical scale that saved us money and by merging, that enabled us to do that. we get more bang for our buck in the promotion. >> today they're fully merged. they share office space, share leads on buyers and houses and they say that together, they're each doing much better than they did alone. >> being big, in my mind, isn't better. the biggest problem with all that is the culture changes when you're big. >> bj owned her own agency for nearly 20 years. and with 13 employees, she says

there's not much mystery to how to stay ahead of the big guys. while bj says flexibility to quickly react to market change is one of the natural advantages that comes with being small, she says there's a second advantage, too. the knowledge that comes from being a long-time member of the community. >> if i only had one afternoon with that buyer before they leave to go home, i only have maybe the opportunity to show them six or ten properties and they better be the best properties on the market or the buyer is going to get discouraged with the process and say never moon. >> she claims she closes more deals and wastes less time than the big guys and that's the strategy that keeps her in the game. a strategy that, in some ways, is shared by dale and bill. >> start with bill sterling, you don't get handed off to some assistant. bill is there for the beginning, the showings, the research. that's the way we decided we want to work with every one of our clients.

>> business travel can get expensive and complicated. checking out a number of different sites to do a price or time comparison could get overwhelming. our website of the week helps makes this a bit easier. pintrips.com is a pinterest-styling booing site, palestinian together flight results from different booking sites so your plans and options are visually laid out. quickly compare prices and roots without having to navigate between a bunch of different websites. are you trying to attract more b b2b customers? this is courtesy of entrepreneur.com. one, updates on linkedin. target company size, seniority levels, job titles and employees of specific companies. promote your own article and blog posts to brand yourself at the same time. two, banner ads.

find out what your ideal group is reading online and advtise on those industry specific pages. three, promote google hangout. you can record them automatically to show them on youtube. four, contribute to online magazines. publishing outstanding content on the right website is a cost effective way to leave your mark and put a face to your name for potential customers. five, advertise during how-to videos on youtube. while video ads are great, they can be time consuming. consider producing content that provides helpful information while showing the youthfulness of your product or service. between linkedin and twitter and facebook, we're all doing a lot of networking online. this can lead to collaborations or partnerships with people we've never met in person like a web designer in another state or maybe a mark heing partner on other side of the country. our next guest has a checklist for you to use in order to protect yourself when forming

working relations with people over social media. maria ross advises entrepreneurs on brand strategy, messaging and positioning. she's author of "branding basics for small business, how to create an irresistible brand on any budget." good to see you, maria. >> thanks for having me. >> let's talk about the idea of this first. i go to linkedin all the time when i'm trying to meet people. you know, see who we know in common. does it happen very often in your experience that somebody meets someone over social media, creates a relationship with them and then something goes awry? >> yes, i've actually heard both great success stories and have experienced them myself and also heard cautionary tales. i want to make sure you know how to protect yourself and get more of the success stories. >> you met them online, now do a little research online. >> check out their social

footprint, social media profiles, their linked, in, most recent tweets, facebook page, have they not updated it in six months, are they engaging with people? are people interacting with them back? are they saying anything controversial? if it's a real, legitimate business, they should be presenting themselves the way they're presenting themselves to you. >> their website as well? >> absolutely. scour their website. even though that's one of the easiest things to fake, to put up a good website, do your due diligence, check it out. is it up and running, does it look good? are the links all working and see if you can find references or testimonials on your website and make sure those people are real and legit as well. >> you talk about putting things in writing. while you may have met somewhat informally, make the relationship formal. >> for sure. i've worked with a lot of web designers, copy writers, people i've never met in person. anyone that's on the up and up

will not bulk at this. it's not about being nice. it's about protecting yourself. put the terms in writing. it doesn't have to be a complicated contract. this is a great screener, that if they get hesitant to put anything in writing or accept an advanced deposit, you may know you're not dealing with someone that does business professional. >> finally, protect your ip when working with someone else. >> absolutely. people are asked by people they never met to speak at a webinar or speak at an event. you'll be revealing your trade secrets. make sure you have copyright notices on anything you send to people and avoid sending them your tools and material until you know you can trust them. this will not stop particularly clever people but it will make it harder for them. >> i think also you have to think about your reputation. if somebody is asking you to be a part of a webinar or speak at

something, you have to really understand their organization and see if you want to be associated with them. >> for sure. it's all about, again, protecting your bran. you want to align with brands that will elevate you, not bring you down. what are they doing out in social media, out on their website? what kinds of things are they saying, what kinds of people are they attracting? you want to make sure this is a partner that aligns with your values and your brand and will help you succeed. >> i want to add one other thing. if you're going to have somebody do work for you, particularly on the creative side, make sure you own the ip, if they're doing it for your company that you own the product, not them. >> absolutely. you want to have a clause in the contract that says they're doing the work for fire and you own everything they're creating. >> maria, it was great to see you. thanks for these tips. >> thanks for having me. still to come, more on partnerships. a viewer asks how to know when it's time to end one. and today's elevator pitch, a competitor kick boxer has sweet, all-natural desserts.

we thought we'd be ready. but demand for our cocktail bitters was huge. i could feel our deadlines racing towards us. we didn't need a loan. we needed short-term funding. fast. our amex helped us fill the orders. just like that. you can't predict it, but you can be ready. another step on the journey. will you be ready when growth presents itself. realize your buying power at open.com. this week's your biz selfie is from kevin kimmel of wichita, kansas. he owns slug, bug and rug.

he's wearing a few hats over there. we'd like to see yours, too. take a selfie of you and your business and send it to yourbusiness@msnbc.com or twet t it to us, @msnbcyourbiz. use the #yourbizselfie. today's elevator pitcher was a competitive kick boxer who had a strict diet regimen but still wanted dessert. angel investor lorissa sorett is with us and ron kurtz runs. he's a small business strategist. >> i am a chef. we specialize in making healthy, delicious desserts. would you like to try some? >> dessert for breakfast. >> for you. yes. >> so everything is raw, vegan, gluten-free.

paleo friendly. our desserts are called guilt-free treat. it started off with my camp for muay thai boxing. we gained a majority of customers from word of mouth, started from the gym community and spread out to corporate events, restaurants and with social media playing a big role, we have been operating for just over a year. we have sales roughly of $50,000 and we are looking to raise $100,000 to expand our capacity and hire pr. we believe we can be profitable within two years with 15%. >> fantastic. congratulations on the pitch. i'm going it give you guys these so i can try one of those. you want me to hold them? >> exactly. i'm used to these. >> yes. >> scale of one to ten, the product and then the pitch.

congratulations on this exciting year into business. >> yes. >> i want to taste it. oh, that's good. wow, that is good. okay. product first. i know what mine is. alicia, the product and pitch. 1 through 10. >> i love the product. it's delicious. i think you're on the trend of healthy foods. that's great. for the pitch, i gave you a 7 because i think that it was very sus simp succinct what you do. i understand the background. i would love to hear more about the market overall. how big is this market? who are the major players in it, how fast is the overall market growing? overall i thought it was pretty good. >> thank you. >> i put both on one side. for the product i give it a 7. it's tasty which alwayrç helps. i'm always surprised i get a lot of pitches in companies when they don't bring samples of whatever it is. it's great to have that.

i think it's a healthy dessert is something i volcano seen. there's a lot on the shelves these days as i'm sure you know. the product definitely has promise an we can get to the pitch next. >> go ahead. >> i thought it was a 6. you knew your stuff. the problem is you kracrammed at in there. you have to highlight, something i advise companies on, take the two or three most engaging things. what i heard is you're trying to create a healthy dessert, you're talking about how much money you need, what the rate of return is, what the market looks like. hook us in first with the food and walk us through it. all you're trying to do in an loi "elevator pitch" like this is grab the product out there. >> which one is this? >> berry balm. >> great advice on the pitch. >> leave those behind for us.

>> exactly. if any of you out there have a company and want feedback from our "elevator pitch" panel on your chances of getting interested investors, please send us an e-mail, yourbusiness@msn yourbusiness@msnbc.com. include a summary of what your company does, how much you're trying to raise and what you intend to do with that money. we look forward to reading all those pitches and seeing some of you here on the show. it's time to answer some of "your business" business. rod and alish sha are back with us. the first one is about deciding how to grow your business. >> being a small business that's starting to grow, i've been doing everything. i know that some parts of my business i need to stop doing and i need to discern which parts of my business are scaleable. my question is how do i make that decision? >> all right, alicia, you are often the first outside money into a company. you probably see this problem all the time. >> all the time.

it's hard to transition from being a jack of all trades to a manager that delegates. the two bits of advice, one, think about what makes you happiest in the country. if you're able to direct your time more towards that and hire someone that takes on things that you least like, it's easier to give up control. the second question is, where can you add the most value? that could be in driving sales or it could be in relieving bottle necks in areas like operations or helping the culture in hr. if you think about what makes you happiest and how you can drive the growth of the business, it's easier to bring people in and let them take the reins in other areas. >> the interesting part about bringing people in, because you are so involved you you have to make sure you are getting someone on the same page, who is better at this function. >> that's hard to admit. especially for a lot of entrepreneurs. i'm a huge fan of post-it notes. i would take four of them, put

them across your desk an make lists of things you're good at, things you love, things you're bad at and things you hate. be honest with yourself. you'll start to see overlap, there might be something you love to do that you're not so good at. once you find the commonalities on the list, you're putting together the job description for that person. i think that's something that any entrepreneur that's looking to scale their business, they have to have a candid conversation with themselves. >> that's good. i like that process. >> post-its. >> or the white board. >> okay. maybe even the computer, right? >> i'm dating myself now. next up, a viewer who wants to know about going into business with others. >> one question i have is about partnerships and how to navigate it when you have different personalities with someone that you own a business with, how do you navigate that and potentially when do you need to decide that you need to step away, maybe do something on your own and end the relationship even though you've put a lot into it? >> okay. i want to dive side this question up into two parts.

number one, how do you navigate it in the beginning? what kinds of things do you need to talk about, et cetera? number two, assuming you have that in place, how do you navigate the day to day. >> i often say there are so many things in business that are like dating. a partnership is the best example where you're looking for a complimentary skill set, obviously someone you get along with personality. you can have different kinds of personalities or be good at different things. i would actually encourage that. you have to have chemistry, experience good times and bad times early on to see how you react to. it's good to ask the question early on. >> what does she do now? >> i completely, whole-heartedly agree. i think partnerships are like marriages or any long-term relationship where it's key to have mutual respect and constant communication. that's the first thing, saying have we made all the effort we need to in these kind of in-depth relationships to

communicate with each other. are we showing mutual respect? if that has been done and it's still not working are we in an environment where every day it's toxic and the whole is not greater than the sum of the parts. if instead you feel like you're better off on your own, it's time to have that hard conversation. you're only holding each other back from something better if it's a toxic environment every day. >> i feel this is a case easier said than done. i know many people who are in partnerships, a good friend of mine, she's mad at her partner every single day. she fears not being with her. she brings something to the table that i woman i know doesn't have. >> you can't bottle it up. it's better to speak more quickly and address something. sometimes, a lot of times, people start companies with friends or family and it may seem like we're growing the business so quickly, so excite, get that partnership agreement

down. talk to a lawyer. it's like a prenup to bring it back to the dating and marriage analogy. you'll be happy you did it. you want all the bases covered. let's get it over with. >> if we go back to the four post-it notes, you could think what does this person bring to the table? >> sure. >> if they weren't there, how can i fill in the holes? it becomes less scary. you have something concrete saying, i think i can do this on my own. >> i know plenty of partners who are complete opposites but make it work. great advice. thanks so much. if any of you have a question for our experts we answer them every week on the show. get great advice. send us an e-mail. you can send it to yourbusiness@msn yourbusiness@msnbc.com. thanks, everyone. so much for joining us today. if you want to learn more about the show, head on over to our website openforum.com/yourbusiness. once you get there all find all of today's segments plus web exclusive pieces with a lot more information to helpyour

business grow. follow us on twitter twitter, @msnbcyourbiz and we are on facebook and instagram, too. next tile, one business just wasn't enough for two entrepreneurs. they now own five different companies that operate under one roof. >> i would say that they all work together and they all feed off each other. >> each business is able to give back and forth in ways that are beneficial to all of the businesses involved. join us for a special episode where we devote the entire show to the challenges of running multiple small businesses. until then, i'm jj ramberg. remember, we make "your business" our business. selling 18 homes? brought to you by american express open. visit openforum.com for ideas to help you grow your business. to track down enough lumber to get the job done. and i knew i could rely on american express to help me buy those building materials.

there are always going to be unknowns. you just have to be ready for them. another step on the journey... will you be ready when growth presents itself? realize your buying power at open.com >> this time four years ago this time in the last race for the the presidency, it was a very big field of presidential candidates on the republican side. but this time four years ago there was one clear front-runner. by mid september, by this time four years ago, not only did the republicans have someone who was leading in the early states and leading nationally, but by this time in the race four years ago, this one front-runner had been the clear front-runner in more than 15 straight national polls. he led in the polls at that point he had been leading since the first moment he got in the race. and it was interesting because he got in a little late. the front-runner this time four years ago hadn't gotten into the race until mid august. all the other