Elmer Thomas is one of the most prolific entrepreneurs that I have had the pleasure of meeting, As CEO of ATL Innovations, he has been responsible for a slew of widgets and applications. Elmer was kind enough to take some time to talk to us about some of them as well as giving us a look into what it’s like to be a digital entrepreneur.

ATL Innovations

As CEO of ATL Innovations, Inc., it is my chief objective to create innovative services and partnerships that provide benefit to all stakeholders. Our current projects are ThemBid.com, BiddingBlock.com, ThemBid Publisher, LogoBids.com, FrontPageBids.com and Notifir.com. We have a few new partnerships in the pipeline that I will be announcing later this year.

ThemBid.com is a free service that creates a social marketplace where buyers and sellers can connect. Instead of using the Yellow Pages to find services, users come to ThemBid.com and post a request, then businesses that can serve that request are instantly notified so that they may place a bid. Each request has a forum attached to it for clarification of the bid request. This service has been available since last April and earned a spot as a finalist at the TechCrunch40 last year. You can also catch the ThemBid.com “showing off” at Twiistup 3 in
a few weeks.

BiddingBlock.com is the first spin off website from ThemBid.com to serve a niche. Specifically BiddingBlock.com serves contractors and sub-contractors by providing specialized tools and services for that industry. For example, we automatically generate the necessary contracts and contractor check license status, provide automated project management support and allow for more detailed descriptions relevant to the industry. BiddingBlock.com will first service California, shortly thereafter expanding across the United States. There will be no cost to use the service.

ThemBid Publisher is a “white label” version of ThemBid, that allows any publisher that has readers and advertisers to create a ThemBid community with their own brand. We partnered with the publisher of Blogger and Podcaster magazine for the distribution.

LogoBids.com allows businesses that need a logo to run a bidding contest. The business will set a price as the prize, then designers will create the logos. The selected winner will receive the prize money. The losers will have their work added to a marketplace where businesses can purchase logos directly. LogoBids.com is set to launch in February. A demo will be available at Twiistup.

FrontPageBids.com is our solution for bloggers whose servers can not handle large amounts of traffic, such as experienced through the Digg.com effect. Our blogs have been dugg many times without failure due to the experience and skill of our CTO, Isaac Saldana and the great service from LayeredTech. We also help those bloggers with monetizing that traffic by conducting advertising bids for those advertisers who want their ads seen by large amounts of viewers. All revenue is shared with the bloggers and the hosting and WordPress optimization is free.

Notifir.com is a tool for social networking submitters to help manage and ease the process. Currently we support Digg.com, but plan to expand to Reddit.com, StumbleUpon.com and Propeller.com. This tool helped me drive over 375,000 unique visitors to ThemBid.com. We offer the tool free.

Digital Entrepreneurship

Give some insight into what it’s like to be an entrepreneur. Some of the challenges you have faced, some things that you’ve learned and some advice that you’d give for instance.

I always say that I am working 24/7, even when I sleep. Thats because I even dream about my businesses. Yes, I know, many will point to how sad of a life that is… but the thing is that I enjoy it fully!

Even though my wife says I’m a human 7-11 (always open), I do make sure to take the time to spend with my wife and three year old daughter. During the week it is a challenge, but most weekends I take one full day off. To help create more time, I try to make errands and meetings a family event when I can.

There are a few principles I live by daily as an entrepreneur, they are: My overall purpose is effect the greatest amount of positive change with the longest lasting effect for the greatest amount of people, I will have time to rest when I’m dead, I must constantly and consistently improve and I will never give up!

This is my advice for anyone considering the jump into entrepreneurship:

First, you need to define the overall goals and results you are after, then define the purpose behind those goals and results. If the purpose is not strong and you do not have a burning desire to achieve those goals and results, seriously think about another vision to pursue.

Second, find mentors who have already been successful in the industry they are trying to get into.

Third, find your mastermind team, who all share your vision passionately, each with different areas of expertise.

Fourth, the whole thing must be fun for you, to the point where work is no longer work, something that you are excited about when you jump out of the bed in the morning (and I do literally mean jump).

There are some key skills that you will need to learn or improve upon: sales, negotiation, delegation, cash flow management, focus and listening.

I blog about entrepreneurship in a Web 2.0 world at ThinkingSerious.com.

Web 2.0 Roundup

I just wanted to thank Elmer for taking to time to talk to us. If you are an entrepreneur with a story to tell, drop me a line.

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