Want to ask the President of the United States a question? Ever wondered what it’s like to get mauled by a bear, or what Snoop Dogg has for breakfast on Tuesdays? You can find out on a Reddit AMA.
Reddit, which calls itself the front page of the Internet, is a massive community where people discuss and debate literally millions of topics every day. One of its key features is a forum called Ask Me Anything (AMA), where anyone with an interesting story, job, or background — famous or not — opens themselves up and answers any and all questions that are asked of them.
We’ve sorted through the best Reddit AMA threads for entrepreneurs, managers, and anyone who is part of a fast-growing team and come up with a list of 15 must-read AMAs. Today we’re posting the first 7.
Read on to find out how one Shark Tank contestant beat the odds, how to beat a used car salesman at negotiating, and why every successful nightclub needs a butt funnel.
Aside from making some damn delicious ice cream, Ben Cohen – along with Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield – has pioneered a number of progressive management practices that are in heavy use right now.
While this AMA is mostly concerned about Stamp Stampede, a movement that wants to “stamp money out of (U.S.) politics,” it does offer a few golden nuggets on reconciling social consciousness with profitability as well as why Ben & Jerry’s continues to champion Fair Trade. Also, there’s a whole lot of ice cream talk straight from one of the world’s most famous ice-cream men ever.
Most Interesting: Why isn’t the company named “Jerry & Ben’s”?
Every now and again an entrepreneur thinks they can use AMAs to blatantly promote their own product rather than offer anything of value back to the community. The Reddit community always savages these self-promoters to bits.
This AMA started innocently enough, but it soon escalates into a fiery debate on the company’s line of gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. It still makes for worthwhile reading through — if only to learn how not to piss off your potential customers!
Best Ask: Why do your gluten-free cookies contain gluten?
If you’re an entrepreneur then chances are you’ve caught a glimpse of Shark Tank once or twice. The show, which features a bunch of wannabe entrepreneurs pitching their ideas to five rich investors (the titular ‘sharks’), encapsulates the stresses that you can face in an actual pitching session.
This AMA gives some insight on what to do before, during, and after a pitch. If you’ve ever wanted to get on Shark Tank and pitch your product yourself, it also doubles as a primer on what to expect.
Best Ask: Do bananas make for good water infusion ingredients?
If you ever find yourself needing to buy a car, then this AMA is a good source of inside info on how the business works. The person who started the AMA has only been in the sales game for a little under a decade but seeing as it’s the family business you’re sure to find something you can use.
The AMA also has a few more general sales-related tips, such as how to get the best deal possible if you’re a first-time buyer, some insight into Chrysler’s bankruptcy, and what scams to watch out for.
Most Interesting: Do you have any amusing car sales anecdotes?
One of the things I like about this AMA is that aside from giving out the usual tips and tricks for making money out of an online business, it also touches on the run-up prior to plunging head-first into starting your own company.
Aside from those, it also covers the importance of quality content, SEO, the effect of ad blockers on ad sales, and how to cover your backside on the legal front when it comes to intellectual property on your sites.
Best Ask: How do you deal with content thieves and domain typo squatters?
Whether you’re thinking of getting into accountancy or are already an accountant or bookkeeper, this AMA is a treasure trove of practical advice. A lot of the discussion concerns using currently available accounting software to your advantage, although the thread also touches quite a bit on how to get into the accounting industry.
Best Ask: Does technology have a positive or negative impact on the accounting industry?
Bar Rescue is Hell’s Kitchen for bars. It doesn’t really matter if you’ve seen the show or have never even heard of it before, as this AMA with host and food & beverage consultant Jon Taffer will net you a few useful ideas to use in the food & beverage industry. Bar Rescue fans, though, will definitely get a lot more out of the sneak peek answers straight from Taffer himself.
Best Ask: What is a butt funnel and how does it work?
Check out Part 2 of our list for more.