Our favourites?

• Work more ….like, a lot more!
• Avoid the crowds and avoid the herd. (ie. you won’t find innovation by doing what everyone else is doing)
• Learn to sell, and sell WELL!
• Never (EVER) be too proud.

Check out all eight in the image below:

You hate status-quo

You constantly find yourself asking ‘why’ things are done a certain way, and challenge the norm. You’re not a big fan of established rules, particularly if you can see an easier and more effective way of doing things (a must-have trait for entrepreneurs).

You aren’t afraid of long hours

Entrepreneurs work 80 hour weeks so they can avoid 40 hour weeks. They’re never fully satisfied, and find themselves wanting more out of their work. And besides, work never actually feels like work.

You’re easily bored

Stopping to smell the roses is something the entrepreneur should definitely work on – but ultimately, they like being stimulated all the time. They have a hard time not being where the action is and want to be part of an ever-changing environment.

You have a hard time letting go

Entrepreneurs want to do it all. From the small tasks to the big picture, the entrepreneur wants to make everything their own – yes, they’re a bit obsessive.

You’re unable to relax

Well, most of the time anyway… the entrepreneur is constantly ‘on’, thinking and fixating on details of their work. Trouble sleeping? You just might be an entrepreneur!

These 5 traits are common in entrepreneurs the world round. Obviously, entrepreneurs can be a bit extreme – and their  personalities can take a toll on those around them.. but they know what they want, and they go for it.

For more signs you could be an entrepreneur, check out this article.

DEVELOP YOUR SOCIAL PROFILES

Yes, we all know it’s important to have a Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ profile (maybe even Pinterest and Instagram)– but the real important part is updating them regularly! This is a non-negotiable. If you want to expose your business to mass audiences – tweeting, making facebook posts, and contributing to Google+ regularly will help with both your SEO (search engine optimization) and with humanizing your brand. Don’t wait on this – start TODAY!

RELEASE A RELEASE

Get a press release formulated and distributed that features your business. The trick with this is really making sure you have a good story. If you can afford a small amount of money to set aside for this, it’s worth it. Get a PR firm to put together the release, and distribute it to media. PR pros have established relationships with media, and can help you get in the limelight. As a side note, Embrace Disruption PR offers these services at really reasonable rates, contact us for more info.

COLLABORATE

Work with other businesses in your industry– offer your assistance/services/products to help them out. This is a great way to network, and also help out your fellow peers. You’ll be surprised how many people will be open to partnering up and in turn, providing some fantastic advice.

GIVE THE MILK FOR FREE (ONCE)

Ok, ok, we’ve all heard the expression: “Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?” This is true, but it’s important to offer up some free services/product in the beginning stages. Don’t kill yourself by offering up a lot, but definitely give a little. If you do an outstanding job, or have a great product (which you SHOULD, if you really want to succeed in this venture) – these freebies can easily turn into advocates, consumers and clients. Start hawking yourself today.

GET ON THE STREET

This is a no-brainer, but just incase you forgot: NETWORK. You should be going to every single relevant event in your industry. Get some swanky business cards made (don’t spend a fortune on printing – but definitely get them designed), and start making new friends. The more people you meet, the more potential for sales. It’s a numbers game – if you know you can meet 5 people and convert 1 into a buyer or consumer, then you know how many people you need to meet next time to get a new client.

These 5 tips are a great starting point for promotion. Remember that the beginning is all about the hustle. The more you put in now, the bigger the pay off in the future!

Coming across this video today – I found it incredibly inspiring and eye-opening. Barbara Corcoran (from Shark Tank fame) details her struggles with starting her business, and emphasizes that there really is no time like the present.

ENTREPRENEURS AND WANNABE ENTREPRENEURS

This is a must watch.

Today one of my Facebook friends (we’ll call her Erin) decided to do something really genius. She is in the process of creating a brand identity for her fashion company and found herself stuck on choosing between 4 different variations of her logo. Rather than hum and haw about which version looked best to her, she took to Facebook and enlisted the opinions of her friends.

Social is starting to play a really key factor in a lot of start-up businesses, and Erin has quickly recognized it’s importance. By throwing out her work into the ‘social sphere’, she was able to garner several opinions (mine included) – but more importantly, she got perspective from the people who matter most. You see, likelihood is that the demographic of her product(s) is closely aligned with that of her Facebook friends. Her eventual consumers are undoubtedly going to be people just like those in her friends list.

Obviously not every company can take advantage of this grass-roots approach due to confidentiality, etc. But what Erin demonstrated today was knowledge that testing your market is paramount to gaining perspective and achieving greater success. Having people with a vested interest in us only a click away provides such a unique opportunity to grow, evaluate and dominate within our independent ventures.

Today Erin reminded me just how powerful social can be, and what an integral part it plays in the businesses of the future. Food for thought!