There is a big misconception that entrepreneurs run around, hang out all the time, go to events around the country and don’t have any structure to their life. People think that the entrepreneurial lifestyle is doing what you want, when you want. While there is some truth to it in the sense that entrepreneurs are always on the go, hustling to make things happen; successful entrepreneurs will tell you that structure is an essential part of the success for your company.
Will Corrente, a successful entrepreneur from S. Florida, once told me that a good entrepreneur doesn’t need to pull all-nighters constantly or work 23-hour days. Yes, there will be long days when things have to get done, but with an organized plan, you can work 9-5 and be successful. While most entrepreneurs say that they work 24/7, it is worth noting that they spend those hours caught up in the entrepreneurial lifestyle of running from event to event, constant meetings and various conferences, which causes them to have those crazy hours. But no matter how many events you attend or meetings you run to, creating structure in your business will not only help you manage and grow your company, but provide structure for your team.
Here are some tips that can help you give your startup structure even while you are running around being an entrepreneur:
- Set daily, weekly and monthly goals: It is very easy to get caught up in projects, ideas and meetings. By setting goals for yourself, you give yourself Read more…
One of the biggest challenges facing an entrepreneur, especially those first timers, is balancing their job that pays the bills with their desire to start a company or business. Unfortunately the reality is that starting a company costs money and bills need to be paid. This is why most people never actually get their idea beyond the idea stage. But for those who do, many need to continue in their nine to five job to support the development of their idea. The biggest question with this is not if you should do it, but how you can work both 9 to 5 and 5 to 9 and balance the two.
Starting a company is difficult. It requires a lot of research, dedication and hard work. Most people feel like they are married to their company, at least for the first few years. But when working at an office, it is very hard to keep that passion alive without causing any issues. Below are a few of the issues and suggestions for dealing with this.
Don’t bring your work to work – Most people have an initial reaction that they will bring the work from their startup to the other office and do it in their downtime. While this may be a great way to get work done and stay entertained, it is also a great way to get fired. Reality is that most startups don’t make it so Read more…
Most startups, at least in their really early stages, do not have the infrastructure or even an office in which to build a team. It is often too early to go out and hire staff because much of the required work is research related and there is no money to pay employees. Research, social media postings and data entry generally don’t require much experience and can easily be outsourced on sites like Odesk.com or with services like NoonDalton. However we are seeing more and more people look for interns for their startup, specifically for social media.
One of the key reasons for this is that many students can’t find jobs and are desperate to do anything that gives them experience and may lead to a job. Another key reason is that there is such a push towards entrepreneurship that everyone wants to be part of the next Facebook. With this mindset, there is tremendous opportunity for companies and interns if done correctly.
Finding an intern is easier than it has ever been. There are incredible internship website such as Urban Interns that not only make it easy to find interns, but they allow you to get a feel for the interns’ schedule and talents and communicate with them in a formal yet informal nature. Additionally with the abundance Read more…
Linsanity has taken over New York and slowly spread across the nation. Jeremy Lin has saved the Knicks, who had become a laughingstock, and the NBA, which never fully recovered from the lockout. His rise from last man on the bench to the savior of the Knicks is an extremely inspirational story and while everyone tries to paint this story as the American dream, there are a lot of real life lessons that can be learned from his story. Below are some of the ones that came to my mind.
Be prepared – You never know when your shot will come. You can get passed up, beat down and even sent packing, but all it takes is one call to get things started. But it is what you do in advance of that call that will often determine your success. As entrepreneurs, we are always one phone call away from something great happening. But we need to be prepared for that call. Have your elevator pitch perfected, work on your slide deck, and most importantly, have a plan to get people excited about your product and more importantly, yourself. Research your competition, know the industry and be able to take a call and give over the information needed at a moment’s notice. You never know when the opportunity will present itself. But as the saying goes, failure to prepare is preparing to fail. But now, once you have prepared, seize the day!
Seize the day – It is not every day that you get an opportunity that can change your career or business. Jeremy Lin was a guy who was passed over, passed around and was the 5th choice for point guard for the Knicks. Various things all happened at the same time and he found himself as the starting point guard for the Knicks. It is a matter of him being in the right place at the right time and getting the opportunity of a lifetime, and he seized it. He worked hard to prepare for that moment and gave it all that he had and he has since turned that simple opportunity into a worldwide phenomenon.
As entrepreneurs, we often find ourselves trying to connect with angel investors, VCs, media outlets like TechCrunch, Mashable and Tech Cocktail to get Read more…
Whether your company is successful or not, it is exciting to tell people that you are a founder of a startup. The fact that you actually started something is more than most people can say and gives you some credibility as an entrepreneur. But the fun part comes when you need to make your business cards and you start “handing out” the titles that you will use. The titles of CEO, Chairman, Chief Revenue Officer, Chief Marketing Officer and other big name positions are always fun to give out. But what do they mean, especially when you are first building your product, and how can they affect the company in the long run.
One of the cool things about being a founder is that you will always be the founder. No one can ever take that away from you and it is a part of the company’s history. However, every other position is negotiable and very often, the founders find that they are not right for those jobs. This may not occur at the outset, but often that is because everyone wears multiple hats and works to get everything done together. In the early stages of a company, there is very little separation of Read more…
