Tag: entrepreneur tips

What Every Entrepreneur Must Know Before Taking The Leap of Faith

In this article, I share lessons every entrepreneur must know before they take a leap of faith. Before starting a business, there are numerous things you should consider.

 

When I decided to take a leap into entrepreneurship, I had no idea what to expect. Turns out, becoming an entrepreneur wasn’t anything I thought it would have been. From 4 years of twists and turns as an entrepreneur, I’ve learned quite a lot.

 

 

In this article, I’m going to share what every entrepreneur must know before taking the leap of faith:

 

 

Balancing work and life is very tough

 

I became an entrepreneur at the age of 17. While my friends were out partying and enjoying their teenage years, I was meeting with clients and working through the night to make my business successful.

 

 

I often did wish that I could go out and do all the fun things my friends were doing, but I couldn’t always be there. Turns out entrepreneurship isn’t a job, it’s a lifestyle. Everyone believes they’ll have enough time for both, but reality sets in after just a few months.

 

 

If you want to be truly successful as an entrepreneur, it’s going to be very tough balancing life and work simultaneously. If you had a lot of free time before, expect that to be cut down dramatically if you plan to start a business.

 

 

Fancy cars and fame don’t come with the title 

 

I learned about entrepreneurship when I became extremely frustrated with the various odd jobs I had taken. They made me miserable and I knew there had to be a better way to make some cash.

 

 

I came across this idea of entrepreneurship and read stories of people who were rich and famous. They had fancy cars, tons of cash and were looked up to by people of all ages. I thought by starting my own business, I would be entitled to the same thing.

 

 

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. The perks of entrepreneurship only come to you after you work your ass off and achieve results. Success is attainable, but don’t think it just comes with the title.

 

 

Action trumps everything

 

It’s one thing to talk about your ideas, but it’s something else to put them into action. You’re a wantrepreneur until you implement your thoughts.

 

 

When I became an entrepreneur, I was able to find success so quickly simply because I took action. I wasn’t scared of making mistakes or failing. I hit tons of barriers and made mistakes, but I learned quickly because I took action.

 

 

Test, test, test

 

When I first started my business, I was very foolish with the way I launched products. Instead of testing things or asking potential customers about it, I pushed out what I thought was right. This was a very poor approach.

 

 

Don’t waste a ton of money and resources until you’ve tested everything. Test the market, the product and the need before you go all in. Many principles such as the lean startup and my course share these tactics in much more depth. Instead of doing what you think is best, collect feedback and use those metrics to make decisions.

 

 

4 hour workweeks aren’t enough

 

I hadn’t heard about Tim Ferris until last year, but I was really disappointed to see how many entrepreneurs believed they only had to work 4 hours a week to be successful. If you’re just starting a business, expecting to work a few hours a week is simply insane.

 

 

If you really want to be a successful entrepreneur and build something worth millions or billions of dollars, you’re going to have work way more than 4 hours a week. A 4 hour workweek is possible when you’ve made a lot of money and can substitute your effort by hiring others.

 

 

It’s not about how much money your business makes

 

When I started out as an entrepreneur, the only metrics I focused on revolved around the amount of money the business was making. I ran my multimedia agency for a few years only to realize I was just a businessman. I was disgusted by that thought and decided I wanted to become an entrepreneur.

 

 

I put my business up for sale and focused on creating startups that had a purpose deeper than money. I’ve always said that money is the prize, but not the purpose. If you’re ONLY focused on making money, it’ll never come to you.

 

 

Money is an illusive object. Instead of chasing it, focus on a deeper purpose and the money will find you. What drives you and makes you want to become an entrepreneur? My ‘why’ was that I had the opportunity to be happy, do something I loved and create change in the world with my startups.

 

 

Conclusion

 

These are just a handful of lessons entrepreneurs should know before they take the leap of faith. Starting a business is very rewarding, but you have to be well-prepared for the journey ahead.

 

 

photo credit: Frankenspotter Photography via photopin cc

 

 

4 Easy Steps To Boost Your Online Reputation

In recent years, reputation management has become extremely popular. Businesses charge individuals and other companies hundreds to thousands of dollars a month to manage their reputation. In this article, I’m going to share 4 easy steps to boost your online reputation without paying tons of money.

 

In recent years, reputation management has become extremely popular. Businesses charge individuals and other companies hundreds to thousands of dollars a month to manage their reputation.

 

 

Surprisingly, people are paying for it because managing your reputation is very important. Your clients, employers, and even dates are googling your name to dig up as much dirt about you as they can.

 

 

Not managing your online reputation can be the reason why your clients go with the competitors, employers hire someone else, or your date dumps you before even giving you a chance.

 

 

In this article, I’m going to share 4 easy steps to boost your online reputation:

 

 

1. Get a www.yourname.com domain

 

One of the easiest and quickest ways to build credibility for yourself is to create a website that’s all about you. You get to control everything that is said about you!

 

 

Not only that, but your domain name will typically show up on the top of search engines when other people search for you. Personal websites are a very easy way to boost your online reputation.

 

 

2. Get Some Professional Headshots

 

Professional headshots can cost anywhere from $50-$100 but will prove to be a very valuable investment. People judge you by the pictures they see online and you’d much rather be seen posing in a suit than lying on the floor of a club.

 

 

Take a few professional pictures and use them on social media pages, your website, and any other sites people are visiting to find out more about you.

 

 

3. Get Other People To Talk About You

 

The fastest way I was able to build my online reputation was by getting other people to talk about me. These other people included bloggers, influencers, media outlets, journalists, and just about anyone else who was a credible source.

 

 

Don’t look for a friend or cousin to talk about you, but rather other authority figures who can boost your online reputation very quickly.

 

 

4. Blog Like An Expert

 

In your professional career, you must be an expert at some topic or area. Create a blog on your personal website or through WordPress and start sharing your expertise and knowledge with others.

 

 

Blogging is an easy, but effective way to build up your online reputation since you can share your experience with people on a broad scale. Your blog will typically show up when people search for you and you can leverage that to impress others.

 

 

Conclusion

 

If you plan to invest in anything, invest in yourself. Building your online reputation is something that will carry on with you for the rest of your life. Be sure to use these strategies and others to successfully create a strong online reputation for yourself.

 

 

And before I end this article, I will share you with one of my favorite pictures about this topic.

 

How to Hack Time and Get More Out of Your Days

Are you always pressed against time? Don’t worry, that’s a common feeling most people have. Entrepreneurs especially see time fly right by. How many of you have looked at the time and said, “I wish there were more hours in a day.” I used to say that all the time! In this blog article, I’m going to share with you how to hack time and get more out of your days.

 

Are you always pressed against time? Don’t worry, that’s a common feeling most people have. Entrepreneurs especially see time fly right by.

 

 

How many of you have looked at the time and said, “I wish there were more hours in a day.” I used to say that all the time!

 

 

In this blog article, I’m going to share with you how to hack time and get more out of your days.

 

 

1. Some “You” Time 

 

Each day, you need to keep some time open for things you like to do. Whether it’s a hobby, going to the gym, or going out and getting drinks with friends, set aside some time each day for yourself.

 

 

When you have some time for relaxing or fun each day, it’s a lot easier to work harder and faster.

 

 

2. Learn To Say “No”

 

Productive people know when to say no. If you have lots of things to do and people are trying to pile more tasks on your desk, you need to step up and say NO.

 

 

You know how much work you can handle and how you manage your time. It might not be easy to say no, but it can make the biggest difference on how productive your days are.

 

 

3. Start With The Tedious Stuff First

 

Mornings are when you are the most refreshed. Instead of saving the things you hate for the end, start with the tough stuff first.

 

 

Not only will you be able to do a better job on it, but you’ll be able to look forward to something you may enjoy doing. Productivity has a direct correlation with your attitude. Always find ways to increase positivity so that you can increase your productivity.

 

 

4. Work Smarter, Not Harder

 

Are the things you’re doing everyday worth your time? Is this someone else can do? Does this really need your attention?

 

 

These are some very crucial questions that you should be asking yourself. You always want to work smarter, not harder. When I say that, I mean that you should be doing the work that really requires your expertise and knowledge and hire assistants or others who can manage the things that really don’t need much skills and insight.

 

 

5. Value Your Time

 

How much is your time worth? Can you delegate some tasks to other people so that your net income increases?

 

 

If your time is worth $100 an hour, it would clearly be a poor choice to mow your lawn or clean your house. Instead of doing that work yourself, you can hire someone to mow your lawn and clean your house while you are able to focus on the tasks that make you more money.

 

 

6. Stop Trying To Do It All

 

If you have a bunch of tasks to do, focus on one item at a time. Multi-tasking can be disastrous and usually ends up taking more of your time.

 

 

Get one thing done at a time before moving to the next. You will be far more productive because your work will be solid and you will probably end up finishing a lot quicker anyway.

 

 

7. Maximize Your Meetings

 

A lot of time is spent on phone calls and meetings talking about nothing. An easy way to save more time and get done with meetings quicker is to get to the point.

 

 

Every meeting has an agenda and the quicker you get to it, the quicker you get to leave. Meetings and phone calls can take up a large portion of your day so it’s extremely crucial that you maximize your time during those moments.

 

 

8. Wake Up Early

 

Instead of staying up late to finish work, try waking up early. You’re the most productive in the mornings and that’s typically the time when most other people in the world are awake as well.

 

 

The difference between waking up at 8 AM and 6 AM is unbelievable. Those extra 2 hours can help you get done more than you can ever imagine.

 

 

9. Automate Things

 

Are there things that you’re doing everyday? If so, find a way to automate things that always require your attention. For example: If you always have to submit reports to your team, find a way to automate those reports.

 

 

10. Stay Organized

 

Searching for things can take up a lot of your time. It may take a few minutes extra to stay organized, but you’ll be glad you did it.

 

 

Many people waste a ton of time because they are unorganized. Personally, I’ve lost many hours due to a lack of organization in my office.

 

 

Conclusion 

 

Increasing productivity in your daily life takes a lot of practice and hard work. However, with the right amount of patient and practice, you can eventually get the most out of your days!

 

 

photo credit: Βethan via photopin cc