We’ve all experienced bad service from time to time. Usually, we do nothing, but sometimes, we complain. We might even write a letter to the newspaper. Most of the time though, you’re complaining to a giant conglomerate, and your one little complaint is a little like a mosquito biting a dinosaur.

However, if you’re an entrepreneur and you have a start-up, one little complaint can be a very, very bad thing for you – both personally and professionally.

Let’s take a look at how you can leverage customer service as the corner stone of your company, as well as how it can sink you faster than the Titanic. Read More

Many of us dream of one day starting a company and successfully scaling the venture into a market leading position over a certain duration of time.

But for most that have this dream, they stop dead in their tracks even before giving themselves an opportunity to put their pen to paper. This is because there is a cultural mentality here in America that has been ingrained within each of us- fear of failure.

Our society structures education and thought around consequences, instead of possibility.

In school we’re taught to be ‘perfect’ – to get good grades and memorize the total of 12×12 – because this is supposedly what success looks like. In the world of entrepreneurship, this couldn’t be farther from the truth.

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In our consumer driven, flat and hyper-competitive world, there are plenty of companies out there supplying every possible kind of product/service to a market hungry for more. However, while it is true that most of these companies will profit accordingly, it is the ones that create a brand, and develop a loyal group of clients, that will catapult their revenues toward the upper echelon of the bell curve.

In a tough market, where competition is stiff and resources are scarce, building a brand presence means the difference between doing five figures, and a business that crushes it with a seven or eight figure top line. For early to mid-stage entrepreneurs, establishing a strong brand presence (as soon as possible) is imperative.
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When it comes to entrepreneurship, it’s worth noting that not all founders are created equal.

Why does this matter? Because the type of entrepreneur you are dictates a plethora of different business variables, such as your management style. Personality characteristics and traits have a direct and impactful effect on the achievement potential of an entrepreneur over the course of their career.

What makes the difference? The overwhelming differentiator between those who catapult themselves forward and those who continue to drag their feet is simple: deciding to take some of the below into account when making fundamental business decisions (or not). Those who do will play toward their strengths and outsource their weaknesses to others much smarter than themselves in a particular area of expertise. Those who do not – good luck.

The below details several types of entrepreneurs, alongside the pros and cons associated with each particular personality style. Figure out which personality you are and learn how to leverage those characteristics to your advantage.
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Becoming an entrepreneur is a funny business, isn’t it?

Everyone tells you that you need to be determined, to follow your heart in spite of the odds, and if you encompass passion for the idea, success will follow. Yet, then those same folks will turn around and advise you to pay attention to your inner critic.

The truth is, this is just one of many challenges faced by entrepreneurs in their quest to find the right balance that ultimately brings success. Below details why you, the looney entrepreneur, must pay attention to the little voice of reason in your head (yes, the one that really does talk to you) – sometimes.
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When an entrepreneur starts their business, chances are, especially if they are bootstrapping, there is a continual focus on getting started and grinding through the first year or two. This is when most small businesses fold - more than 50% in year one and 95% within five years.

The first goal with any business, as it should be, is to bootstrap the company into profitability. Most of the profit in those initial years must be reinvested right back into operations to keep the company running, nurturing its ever-growing market share and ensuring the company grows from infancy into a substantial and viable product/service.

A savvy entrepreneur puts every single fiber of themselves into their start-up. But even in the face of such dedication, chances are the company will reach a plateau – the point at which there are only two choices – stay small, or lever the business up and grow. It may seem impossible when first embarking on the bootstrapping adventure, but that point actually comes a lot sooner than one would think. Below is a quick guide on how to transcend from a bootstrapped operation to profitability and the ultimate goal – scalability, without ripping your hair out in the process.
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