In every economic downturn, corporations shed employees to shave costs. And in every economic downturn, many of those let-go employees make lemons out of lemonade by starting that small business they’ve always dreamed of operating, whether it involves doing what they were doing as an employee or trying something entirely different. Like all small-business owners, newbies need to start off on the right foot by...
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Entrepreneurs know that sometimes running a fledgling business can be a lot like managing personal finances. While business finances and personal finances should be kept separate, and there are definite differences between running your start up and your household, there are still some vital lessons to be learned from personal finance. As you gear up for 2015, here are 5 tips from personal finance experts...
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More than ever, people are looking to pursue meaningful career paths. At times our vision of how the world should be is so vivid, we can’t resist the urge to try and build it ourselves. Starting a business has never been easier, but executing on our ideas can make for seriously hard work. Here are some lessons on starting your own business and seeing it...
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Some of the world’s most famous and profitable businesses were started by students. Microsoft began in Bill Gates’ Harvard dorm room, Google got its start on the Stanford campus as the computer science project of doctoral students Sergey Brin and Larry Page and thousands of other student companies thrive in every industry. Even if you’re not aiming to be another Bill Gates – maybe you...
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I like thinking big. If you’re going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big. – Donald Trump No successful entrepreneur starts something with the goal of being mildly successful, especially not Donald Trump. If you truly believe that you have an amazing idea or think you can expand your business, then go for it. The “go big or go home” mentality has worked very...
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Every entrepreneur has that moment–an experience, an epiphany, getting fired, getting desperate, getting fed up; getting lucky enough to have the right mentor–that inspired them to someday become an entrepreneur. So I asked 10 successful entrepreneurs to share their original inspirations. Here they are: *** “In 1998 I was a copywriter/account manager at a small ad agency in NYC. I liked what I did, but working in jammed quarters with...
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Plan in Advance “The best practice to run a successful meetup group for entrepreneurs is taking time to plan the event in advance. I’ve found that it is best to plan at least three to four weeks in advance so there is enough time to work out all of the details, find a venue and ensure every entrepreneur attending the meetup-style group is able to...
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Focus. Focus. Focus. Many first-time entrepreneurs feel the need to jump at every “opportunity” they come across. Opportunities are often wolves in sheep’s clothing. Avoid getting side-tracked. Juggling multiple ventures will spread you thin and limit both your effectiveness and productivity. Do one thing perfectly, not 10 things poorly. If you feel the need to jump onto another project, that might mean something about your...
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Being an entrepreneur doesn’t mean you have to go it alone. Most successful business owners will tell you they could not have accomplished their goals without help–from a mentor, colleague, even mom and dad. For many, their ability to evaluate, internalize and act on the counsel they received was instrumental in getting their companies off the ground. In an effort to tap some of this...
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Entrepreneurship is the ultimate roller coaster. Having been through building a business twice now, I can attest to the fact that some days I’m high as a kite and other days I’m filled with fear. To ride out those wild swings, and to end up on top, it takes a lot of help. It can help to talk to other entrepreneurs. I recently spoke about...
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