Entrepreneurs' Organization

LOGIN

  • About
    • Our History
    • EO Board
    • Annual Report
    • #EOImpact
    • Partnerships
  • Why Join
    • The EO Experience
    • Because of EO
    • Membership Benefits
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
    • Find a Chapter
    • Submit Interest Form
    • Careers
    • Privacy Notice
    • Terms of Use
  • Menu
  • About
    • Our History
    • EO Board
    • Annual Report
    • #EOImpact
    • Partnerships
  • Why Join
    • The EO Experience
    • Because of EO
    • Membership Benefits
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
    • Find a Chapter
    • Submit Interest Form
    • Careers
    • Privacy Notice
    • Terms of Use
THE EO BLOG

INSIGHTS FROM

LEADING ENTREPRENEURS

Entrepreneurs' Organization

Categories

Tags

#EOlooksback 31 Days of #WOMENtrepreneurship advice best practices better business better business practices bold book branding business career company culture economy entrepreneur entrepreneurial journey entrepreneurs' organization entrepreneurship eo EO Accelerator eo nashville eo new york family finance growth hiring inc inc.com inspirational internet interview leadership lessons learned management marketing money online productivity sales small business social media startup success technology tips web site

Search

Selling your company? 4 issues at the intersection of parenting and entrepreneuring

7 January, 2022

Contributed by Scott Bushkie, EO Wisconsin, who is founder and CEO of Cornerstone Business Services. With more than 20 years in the M&A industry, Scott is a recognized leader in the field, providing exit strategies, sell- and buy-side transitions, along with valuation services in the lower middle market. 

As an entrepreneur who has built a successful business from the ground up, you’ve likely poured years of your life into growing and scaling it—at great personal sacrifice. You’ve lost countless nights of sleep, forfeited vacations and lived lean during cash flow challenges.

So when it comes time to think about selling your business, it’s natural to feel a bit conflicted.

  • On the one hand, this is why you worked so hard: To exit and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
  • On the other hand, many business owners say that selling their business feels like giving a child up for adoption.

As it turns out, that’s not just a metaphor. Research shows entrepreneurs really do think of their business as a child.

There’s a strong parallel between entrepreneurial love and parental love. Researchers found similar brain activity between founders thinking about their businesses and parents thinking about their kids. In either case, similar areas of the brain lit up, including areas associated with parenting, pleasant sensations, emotional processing and reward.

Researchers say the phenomenon provides a deeper understanding of “entrepreneurial bonding.”

I say it explains why selling your business can be such an emotional rollercoaster. Just like raising a baby, identity, pride, legacy and sleepless nights are all part of building and selling a company.

4 issues at the intersection of parenting and entrepreneuring

As owners decide to exit their business, here are four complex issues we often struggle with:

1. Letting go

Many business owners feel like their identity is wrapped up in their business. Some can’t believe the company can thrive without them. Others don’t know who they’d be without the business.

2. Proud Parent Syndrome™

In the same way parents can be blind to their children’s faults, entrepreneurs may struggle to see their company’s weaknesses. Some owners are unwilling to hear that the business is worth less than they think it is during the valuation process.

3. Sleepless nights

At some point in every merger and acquisition (M&A) negotiation, you’re going to lay awake at night wondering if you’re doing the right thing. Are you getting enough value for your business? Is the buyer a good fit?

Every parent knows what it’s like to lay awake in the middle of the night worrying. When selling, business owners can help avoid sleepless nights by working with an M&A advisor to put their business on the open market without an asking price. When you bring multiple buyers to the table in an auction-like environment, you know you’re making the best deal the market can bear.

4. Legacy over money

When sellers have multiple options to choose from, they sometimes choose a buyer based on culture fit over money. They may accept a lower price as a tradeoff to working with a buyer who will mesh with their team and keep the business local. It’s not unlike parents who want to give their kids the best and are willing to sacrifice themselves to make that happen.

You only get one chance to sell your business, so it’s crucial to do it right. EO members are fortunate to have a variety of resources to tap into as they prepare for this critical step, including situational mentorship, executive education opportunities and virtual learning events.

If you’re considering selling your company, be sure to allow enough time to prepare thoroughly. This should include steps to get your books in order, conduct a professional business valuation, seek professional legal input, and consult an M&A advisory expert to explore all options on the table.

At the end of the day, when selling your business, it’s never just business. It’s very, very personal.

Categories: Best Practices Entrepreneurial Journey Mentorship STRATEGY

Tags: Cornerstone Business Services EO Wisconsin exit strategy Scott Bushkie situational mentorship

7 marketing videos you can make from existing content

5 January, 2022

Looking for an innovative way to breathe new life into your existing content?

Video is the way of the future. And here’s the best part: You probably already have all the content you need to create a robust set of marketing videos for all your social media channels.

All you have to do is repurpose that content into videos that work well within your existing marketing strategy; no brain-racking required.

Here are seven ideas for growth-focused marketing videos you can create with your repurposed content. 

1. Turn almost anything into a video slideshow

One of the easiest ways to repurpose content is to make a video slideshow.

Almost any piece of content has discrete points that can be summed up or condensed into slides, then compiled into a slideshow. Video slideshows work well on most marketing channels, except for YouTube.

Slideshows also make a great addition to product pages. They perform well on social media. You can even turn customer support documents (product use instructions, FAQ pages) into video slideshows.

Read More

Categories: general PR/MARKETING Video

Tags: Biteable entrepreneurs' organization Leah Diviney tips

How—and why—to prioritize employee comfort with ergonomic office furniture

31 December, 2021

As the pandemic lingers, there’s no shortage of entrepreneurs wondering how to inspire their remote employees to want to come back to the office, at least a few days a week if not full-time. The benefits of employees interacting in person fuels creativity and engagement, which are positive outcomes business leaders want to encourage.

While there are multiple strategies for attracting employees back to the office environment—including a more lenient dress code policy, hybrid work schedules, and a stronger focus on company culture—here’s one you may not have tried: focus on employee comfort by upgrading to stylish, ergonomic office furniture.

The physical workspace plays an important role in employee happiness. Drab, dated offices with small cubicle spaces are the epitome of an unhappy workplace. Everything in your office, from the chairs to the desks can have an impact on employees. Taking extra care to plan an in-depth design that includes ergonomic office furniture which is not only stylish, but also comfortable, will show employees that you truly value them and the work they do.

Read More

Categories: Company Culture PEOPLE/STAFF Productivity

Tags: Andy Goddard Anglia Chiropractic Martha Casey Office Furniture Scene

The untapped value in mastering your Inner Game

29 December, 2021

Contributed by Dhiren Harchandani (EO UAE), a Transformational Architect who helps entrepreneurs crush roadblocks to get more of what they want, by Mastering their Inner Game. We asked Dhiren how entrepreneurs can master their Inner Game. Here’s what he shared: 


Have you ever made business decisions that adversely affected your relationships and health? Do you know how it feels to have your energy completely drained while your competitors grow past you? If you’re an entrepreneur, these scenarios are all too familiar.

A few years ago, I experienced a colossal burnout. 

I know how it feels to be physically present with those you love but emotionally absent. And I know what it feels like to be at the end of my rope, feeling like an imposter in my own body.

But all that dramatically changed when I discovered the Inner Game.

There are many lies we tell ourselves as entrepreneurs. You think if you could work harder or play the game smarter, you will have better business success. While that may be true in the short term, it’s far from sustainable.

I liken it to tuning different parts of a race car for better performance without paying attention to the engine. It doesn’t make sense, but the reality is that is exactly what we do—we hire better staff, automate certain processes, and the list goes on. 

Sadly, entrepreneurs often forget to work on themselves and the core that drives their beliefs.  

“The business behind an entrepreneurs’ business is their Inner Game.”

—Dhiren Harchandani

Ever since I discovered the Inner Game and started going deeper in embedding it in my life and business, I’ve performed at a level I’ve never been able to access in the past.

Read More

Categories: Coaching Entrepreneurial Journey LEADERSHIP members

Tags: Dhiren Harchandani EO UAE Inner Game Master Your Inner Game Transformational Architect

Robert Glazer

How the Pick Two Rule helps entrepreneurs juggle priorities

21 December, 2021

Robert GlazerContributed by Robert Glazer, the founder and CEO of Acceleration Partners, a global partner marketing agency and the recipient of numerous industry and company culture awards. He is the author of the inspirational newsletter Friday Forward and international bestselling author of four books: Elevate, Friday Forward, How To Thrive In The Virtual Workplace and Performance Partnerships. He is also the host of The Elevate Podcast.

There is a common saying in construction that for every project, you can pick two of three attributes: speed, quality or price.  

For example, if you want a project to be done quickly and at a high quality, that will cost you more. You can also have a project done quickly and cheaply, but you’ll be sacrificing quality. Finally, you can get high quality work for a lower price, but you’d better be prepared for a long wait.  

This Pick Two Rule of the construction world underscores a basic truth: While we can have everything we may want, we typically can’t have it all at once. Many things in life are a tradeoff and when we try to make everything a priority, nothing gets our full attention.  

The Pick Two Rule is a great way to contextualize the tradeoffs we make in our daily lives. Specifically, this applies to how we manage our time across competing objectives—from family, work and what bestselling author Ryan Holiday calls “scene.” Our scene is whatever we love to do for ourselves; it could be travel, concerts, working out, dinner with friends, or otherwise. It’s very difficult, if not impossible, to give full focus to work, family and scene at the same time.  

Many people’s 20s and early 30s are dominated by work and scene, which works well with the Pick Two Rule. However, once kids come along, or if you become responsible for your aging parents’ care, that family bucket starts to require much more time, which puts a strain on the time available for work and scene. 

Read More

Categories: Entrepreneurial Journey WORK-LIFE INTEGRATION

Tags: acceleration partners Elevate Podcast Friday Forward Pick Two Rule robert glazer Ryan Holiday

NEW MANAGER

Cultural re-onboarding: 3 ways to adapt to virtual collaboration

17 December, 2021

NEW MANAGERContributed by Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, an internationally-renowned thought leader in future-proofing and cognitive bias risk management and an EO 360° podcast guest. We asked Dr. Tsipursky to explain how companies can help employees adapt and thrive to hybrid return-to-office scenarios. Here’s what he shared:

Organizations will need to pivot their corporate cultures if they wish to survive and thrive in the world of virtual collaboration after the pandemic. The most significant changes will stem from the wide-scale and permanent shift to hybrid and fully-remote work modes.

Between 65 and 75 percent of employers intend to keep a mainly hybrid schedule, with a minority of staff fully remote. Combining hybrid and full remote work largely matches what employees want their work schedules to look like.

To adapt to the hybrid and remote future of work, leaders must benchmark and adopt best practices based on external research, as I learned from interviewing 47 mid-level and 14 senior leaders whom I guided through the transition to the future of work.

Read More

Categories: Best Practices Company Culture

Tags: Disaster Avoidance Experts EO 360 podcast Gleb Tsipursky

How to build the perfect pitch deck for your business

15 December, 2021

Maximilian Fleitmann, an Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) member primarily based in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, is the CEO of BaseTemplates and Partner at Richmond View Ventures. He has raised venture capital for his startups, helped hundreds of founders craft their pitch decks and fundraising strategy, and invested as a business angel. We asked him how founders can create the perfect pitch deck for their company. Here is what he shared:

During my career, I pitched my business hundreds of times—sometimes to friends and family, sometimes to customers, and sometimes to potential investors. I can do this in my sleep. Over time, I have refined every word I am saying at least twenty times. 

Some of these pitches were very informal, sitting at the bar or walking around. But others were in front of huge audiences with everything at stake. And by everything I mean: “Will I get funding so that I can keep my business alive?”

For many of these pitches, it made sense to complement the words with a nice presentation—called a pitch deck. Most people think creating a pitch deck is only relevant if you are trying to raise funds from investors but in my experience, every company should have one.

Over the last few years, I have built hundreds of pitch decks for successful entrepreneurs and my own companies. I love to break down a whole business into just a couple of slides that make the viewer say, “Yeah. Understood. Amazing business!” Today I am sharing my five quick steps to building the perfect pitch deck.

1. Identify the core of your business

As an entrepreneur, you know your business best. But have you ever thought about how you could explain it to someone in the simplest way and simultaneously make them excited?

Read More

Categories: BUSINESS GROWTH FINANCES PR/MARKETING STARTUP

Tags: BaseTemplates EO Germany EO Rhine-Ruhr Maximilian Fleitmann Richmond View Ventures

EO London’s Pajani Singah: Saving the rainforest by investing private capital

10 December, 2021

In 2017, EO pledged its support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs)—17 goals to wipe out poverty, fight inequality and tackle climate change by 2030. To inspire EO members to focus on sustainability and societal impact, EO hosts a quarterly Impact Day. The next EO Impact Day is Wednesday, 15 December 2021.

Pajani Singah, president of EO London, embraces the UN SDGs by fighting climate change. He was recently honoured for his actions: Pajani is co-founder of Amazonia Impact Ventures (AIV), which was selected by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as a winner of the Tropical Forest Commodities Challenge. The recognition was given for AIV’s innovative approach using finance to tackle deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.

Addressing deforestation in the Amazon

The Amazon rainforest absorbs two billion tons of carbon per year. At its current rate of deforestation, over 25 percent of the biome will disappear by 2030. Urgent action is needed to stop such rampant deforestation. Work by the voluntary sector alone will not be enough; businesses must get involved, too. Recent years have seen promising work in the sustainable investment space, but greenwashing remains all too common.

Amazonia Impact Ventures (AIV) invests private capital in projects that reduce deforestation, regenerate biodiversity and restore degraded land to mitigate climate change. The organization works with smallholder farmers’ organizations to reduce commodity-driven deforestation. Their work helps indigenous peoples and local communities protect and regenerate the Amazon rainforest.

Read More

Categories: Best Practices Crisis Entrepreneurial Journey Impact international Make a Mark

Tags: Aldo Soto Amazonia Impact Ventures COP26 Daniel Epstein EO Impact Day EO London Global Leadership Conference Macau Pajani Singah Tropical Forest Commodities Challenge UN SDGs World Economic Forum

Business podcasts: The ultimate guide to starting yours

8 December, 2021

Dave Will, an EO Boston member, is the host of the EO 360° podcast. As the co-founder and CEO of PropFuel, Dave is a one-of-a-kind entrepreneur dedicated to creating a place for unique conversations with successful founders and business leaders.

In a popular episode of the EO 360° podcast, Dave spoke with Kevin Stoller, EO Arizona member and co-founder and president of Key-Twelve, a company that builds furniture for innovative learning environments that foster collaboration and engagement between students and teachers.

Dave and Kevin’s podcast discussion centers around providing tips for businesses that want to start a podcast that is compelling and entertaining—and ultimately, impacts business.

Ask: Should I start a podcast?

Launching a podcast will require an investment from your business. Before you begin, ask yourself these questions to be sure that a podcast is the right next step for you.

1. What’s your podcast “why”?

Getting a podcast up and running requires time and resources. Investing in a podcast can be worthwhile, but your organization needs to answer this question before you start: Does a podcast make sense within the whole of your marketing strategy? If you are going to spend even one to two hours a month on a podcast, will it pay off better than investing that time elsewhere? If you can answer yes to this question, then a podcast is right for your business.

2. Are you able to commit to it?

Think of podcasting like long-term marketing. Can you commit to doing 100 episodes? Because you won’t get results from producing 10, 20 or even 50 podcasts. Your investment likely won’t yield a return right away. But over the long-term, you are likely see some incredible results from a podcast.

Read More

Categories: BUSINESS GROWTH PR/MARKETING Video

Tags: Dave Will EO 360 podcast eo arizona eo boston Kay-Twelve Kevin Stoller Propfuel

4 Trending animation styles to level up your marketing in 2022

3 December, 2021

In marketing, as in life, change is the only constant. Trends in marketing come and go—causing a burden of uncertainty that torments every marketer. What might have worked last year may not work as effectively now, if it even works at all.

One marketing trend you’ve likely heard of is the use of animated videos—and videos in general. A highly compelling, profound and intriguing medium of marketing, animation holds the power to provide a massive ROI that maximizes leads and conversions. And its use and effectiveness are likely going to increase with time.

Let’s explore the four most effective and modern types of animated videos you can leverage as we head into 2022, with some relevant statistics to underscore their importance.

Statistical analysis of video marketing

The use of animated videos in marketing hit an all-time high in 2021. According to statistics collected by Insivia, your website is 53 times more likely to rank on Google if it has a video on its front page.

Plus, 72 percent of viewers prefer watching videos to understand a service or product rather than reading through a lengthy text. Not surprisingly, as I dug a bit deeper, the majority of video types used while collecting these statistics are of the following styles.

Read More

Categories: Best Practices PR/MARKETING STARTUP Video

Tags: Alex Safavinia Insivia Kasra Design Statista Tickera

  • First
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • Last

Entrepreneurs' Organization

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Notice
  • Contact Us

© 2023 Entrepreneurs' Organization

Verified by MonsterInsights