Entrepreneurship

Are You Brave Enough to be an Entrepreneur?

I just found out that I was quoted in a Romanian textbook on entrepreneurship. Hhmm… Romania of all places. The quote had something to do with entrepreneurs being risk takers, a trait that all of us in that club share.

Create Your Own Job

I used to think that anyone could be an entrepreneur. Now I’m not so sure. I do a live and online webinar/seminar called “Create Your Own Job” and it’s all about creating jobs the entrepreneurial way. Not about how to start a business, but how to create unique jobs.

As I talk to people to get their input, I’m struck by how many people are afraid of taking even the tiniest risk. Terrified of picking up the phone to call a stranger or doing anything beyond their comfort zone. Many would rather wait until they get a job where someone else tells them what to do and how to do it. Even if it takes months of looking. Even if they have to take a job they hate for low wages. [Read more…] about Are You Brave Enough to be an Entrepreneur?

Is the Entrepreneurial Spirit Dead?

I’ve agonized about putting up this post because the last think I want to do is kill the entrepreneurial spirit. Life is hard enough for the entrepreneur, but with 80,000 pages of new regulations coming out every year in America it’s getting harder to keep that spirit alive.

You know the saying “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”? Well, it appears the only people who can do that are the ones that teams of lawyers and employees ready to deal with the mountain of paperwork and regulations they will have to abide by.

When I read this article, it really made me sad:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2011/08/03/the-inexplicable-war-on-lemonade-stands/

A lemonade stand was really the very first business I ever had. In fact, this is the first introduction many kids have to running a business. [Read more…] about Is the Entrepreneurial Spirit Dead?

What I Would Tell a Young Up and Coming Entrepreneur

Lately I’ve been giving some advice to a young up and coming entrepreneur. She doesn’t yet know that she’s an entrepreneur. But I know the traits when I see them. Fearless, determined, not afraid of hard work, not afraid of doing any kind of work, and focused.

Young up and coming entrepreneur

If you’re still a kid I’m assuming you live at home with parents or someone that pays all of your bills. Except for school you’ll have plenty of time on your hands. And plenty of energy. Take advantage of it now. You’re going to need it. Entrepreneurs work very long hours. Unless you’re lucky enough to stumble on a great idea that makes you a fortune quickly, (don’t count on it) you’re going to have to work for years before your business takes off in a big way. Ask any successful business owner how long it took before they got their first vacation or day off.

When I was 16 I opted for a half day of school and then went straight to work in the afternoon. When that shift was finished I went to the mall and worked another job. I worked another part-time job selling Avon on the weekends. And I still made pretty decent grades.

I never cared that much about school at the time because I think deep down I always knew what I wanted to do. And there wasn’t anything I could learn in school that would prepare me to be an entrepreneur. Before you think I’m trashing education, I’m not. I believe you should learn every day of your life. I just don’t think college is for everyone. Especially an entrepreneur. If your career path is doctor, lawyer, scientist or engineer that’s a different story.

Remember the up and coming entrepreneur I was telling you about? She has over $100,000 in student loans to pay off and she’s working a minimum wage job that isn’t even close to what she got a degree in. I live next to a large college and I hear that same story all the time. If she had put $100,000 into a business she would be making a lot more than minimum wage by now. And wouldn’t be paying off debt. [Read more…] about What I Would Tell a Young Up and Coming Entrepreneur

Hiring What You Don’t Know

I remember taking a tour of a friend’s office and warehouse once. Okay, it was more like a compound. It was unassuming from the outside, but on the inside it was like a surreal toy factory.

Hiring what you don’t know

There were different divisions that handled some thousand or so products. You could walk through the hallways and see teams of people working on new designs and packaging. Then there were other groups working on catalogs and marketing. All typing away at their computers.

So I was a little surprised that the owner, the big cheese, the head honcho, really couldn’t use a computer at all. Here was a multi-millionaire that had started this business in a one room apartment with no money and built it into a powerhouse. But he could barely send an email. When I asked why, he said he hired people to do what he couldn’t do, or didn’t want to do, and spent his time doing what he was best at.

I’ve spent the past few days trying to figure out how to put an HTML banner on my site. This is not something that’s easy for me to figure out and I’ve wasted a lot of valuable time. So, I finally decided to take my friend’s advice and hire someone to do it for me. [Read more…] about Hiring What You Don’t Know