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3 Keys to Navigating the Entrepreneurial Maze
By Mike Monroe
“Nobody trusts a person who fails a lot,” he said matter-of-factly. “So you might want to be careful whom you tell about your grandiose plans to take over the world.” My mentor’s advice felt like a parental reprimand. Up until that point, I had been the consummate visionary: the guy with a million and one plans but nothing to show for them. I realized that the only way I would be taken seriously as an entrepreneur is if I actually got serious, went to work and created results.
That was almost 10 years ago. Many successes (and even more failures) later, the advice still rings true. Navigating the trials and tribulations of running a business, no matter whether you’re a serial entrepreneur or you’re just starting out, can feel a lot like being stuck in a labyrinth. Paths extend in every direction, and it’s nearly impossible to decide which path will take you the right way—if there even is such a thing.
Wrestling with uncertainty isn’t rare. After all, starting and running a business is a high-stakes venture.
Categories: Entrepreneurial Journey Sales STARTUP
Tags: entrepreneur GetSkillsForLife.com. leadership lessons lessons learned Mike Monroe Vector Marketing
5 Tips to Successfully Launch a Business in a New Industry
True or false: You do not need to be an expert in an industry to be a startup entrepreneur in that industry. Ed Dean says, true!
As an entrepreneur who has founded businesses both in new countries and new industries, Ed shared how he gets up to speed quickly in a new sector in a recent Inc.com article. Read his five tips for taking on the ultimate challenge as an entrepreneur: launching a startup in an industry you have no experience in.
Categories: Entrepreneurial Journey LEADERSHIP
Tags: best practices Ed Dean entrepreneur EO London Fintech founder inc.com startup Woodseer
3 Quotes to Remember When Launching a Venture Gets Tough
By Daniel Wesley, founder of Quote.com.
Since the dawn of time, humans have exhibited a penchant for bucking the status quo. For some reason, our brains are wired to both love and loathe complacency. Those in the latter category tend to become disruptors, known in today’s vernacular as inventors, influencers or entrepreneurs.
Thank goodness they exist; otherwise, we might still be pre-wheel and gnawing on raw meat for our protein kicks. However, joining the ranks of disruptors doesn’t mean a life of pure adventure and excitement—it also means stress. According to a Gallup poll, working for yourself increases stress levels by 3 to 4 percentage points compared with working for someone else. In other words, it’s a caveman-eat-caveman world out there, and founders are wearing neon “club me” signs.
Categories: Entrepreneurial Journey Inspirational LEADERSHIP
Facing Your Fears: Parenthood and Entrepreneurship
By EO member Ben Welch-Bolen
Fear is a basic human instinct bred into our DNA to help us avoid danger. Without a healthy fear of falling, fire, spiders and clowns—ok, maybe not clowns―our lives might be significantly shorter. But fear isn’t our only basic drive; we’re also compelled to propagate our species. These two instincts collided for me on 20 April, 2016, when my wife delivered a clever knock-knock joke to inform me that I would soon be a dad.
After a few euphoric days, I began worrying about how I would balance being a great dad and a successful entrepreneur. Fear of the unknown hit me―hard. My thoughts swirled: What would happen when I became a parent? Could I balance the two most challenging roles of my life without jeopardizing my sanity? How would it all work out? Would our marriage survive the stress? What compromises would I need to make?
Now that I’ve survived the early days of parenthood―my son is eight months old―some of my initial worries have faded, some remain and still others have surfaced. In the spirit of experience sharing, here’s a look back on my four greatest pre-parenthood fears compared with the realities of fatherhood.
Categories: Lessons Learned
Tags: #diverseandunited Ben Welch-Bolen dad entrepreneur family fear lessons learned parenthood parentrepreneur
6 Pillars of Authority Marketing
I keep a Post-It on my wall with a quote from a professor at my alma mater, Harvard Business School: “Strategy is about setting yourself apart from the competition. It’s not a matter of being better at what you do―it’s a matter of being different at what you do.”
As chair of the entrepreneurial practice at Forbes Books, a former director of an entrepreneurial center and a tech entrepreneur, I drill this philosophy into aspiring entrepreneurs.
That start-up idea that you’re sure nobody has ever thought of? Chances are it’s been thought of.
Categories: Coaching FINANCES PR/MARKETING
Tags: Authority Bea Wray branding content marketing entrepreneur Forbes Books Harvard Business School marketing pr startup
Turning an Addiction into a Dream Job
Brad Stevens is an EO Atlanta member, Chair of that chapter’s Accelerator program, and founder and CEO of Outsource Access, which helps companies grow by providing highly skilled virtual assistants. We asked Brad about his history as an entrepreneur, below.
In part 2 of this article, he explains how he helped grow EO Atlanta’s Accelerator program.
When did you first realize you were an entrepreneur?
In third grade, I saw an opportunity and grew it into my first entrepreneurial experience. It was 1985 and micro machines—tiny toy cars—were a big hit with kids my age. I amassed quite a collection and decided that I could use my growing inventory to start a rental company. I “hired” a friend as my vice president of marketing and we rented my micro machines to classmates for a penny per night.
Categories: Best Practices FINANCES general Inspirational Member Spotlight PR/MARKETING
Tags: accelerator Brad Stevens business growth Entreholic entrepreneur eo atlanta growth hacking marketing technology
Marketing Is Fluid. Embrace the Changes.
How your marketing shifts as your business grows
By Payman Taei, founder of Visme and HindSite Interactive
Regardless of the type of business you’ve decided to start or the industry you happen to be operating in, much of your success will come down less to any one major decision and more to those smaller but meaningful ones. This is why your priority at any given time is never “Begin a successful business.” Rather, your goals involve carefully navigating the different phases in the lifecycle of a startup in order to slowly but confidently move from idea to execution—startup to established business.
The types of decisions that you’ll be making in the seed and development phase of your business are very different from the ones you’ll be focused on during expansion or even maturity. You’re not trying to conquer the industry at the start: You’re trying to play to the strengths of your current stage so you can safely and effectively move to the next one, and so on. In many ways, the same is true of your marketing efforts.
Categories: Best Practices PR/MARKETING Sales Technology
Tags: best practices business plan entrepreneur marketing Payman Taei startup visme
We Are EO
What is it like to become a member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO)? Watch the video below to hear members speak about their experiences. Then, read more about our benefits and programs and how to start your application process.
Categories: Entrepreneurial Journey EO News Inspirational Lessons Learned Make a Mark Video WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
6 Essential Marketing Tips for Solopreneurs
Jane Bolto, content and marketing specialist
There are plenty of obstacles to overcome when trying to achieve success as a solopreneur. Marketing yourself shouldn’t be one of them. Follow these marketing basics for gaining clients and expanding your customer base.
1. Make It Easy for Potential Clients to Find You
It’s important to establish a presence in your field, so that prospective clients will be able to find you and access your services. To do this, take advantage of any medium that will help increase your exposure, such as advertising, promotion and hard copy. In addition, ensuring that you can be found in search engines, through the proper use of keyword targeting, will go a long way in putting you in touch will new clients.
Categories: PR/MARKETING