Skills Needed As An Entrepreneur

Polishing your skills as an entrepreneur can help you be a better entrepreneur. Here are the skills every successful entrepreneur has in common:

Doggedness.

The ability to be persistent in time of trial. Not every business will achieve that immediate success. The determination, knowing how to handle the ups and down is vital. Success does not happen overnight, some of those successful entrepreneurs out there failed again and again before finally achieving that remarkable success. Winston Churchill said: "success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm". What you need to know is that failure isn't the end but a step closer to achieving that success. This skill enables the entrepreneur to keep going when the outlook is bleak.

Stay Focused.

You have to be ready to give it all it takes, when success in the business is your priority, you will find yourself ready to tackle any kind of challenges along the way. After setting a goal, knowing how to "laser focus" on the very next step to get closer to the ultimate goal. There are so many distracting forces when trying to build a business that this skill is not easy to master.

Productivity.

This is a sensitive topic, the fact is there is no one right way to be productive that works for everybody. Learn about your peak energy times, your routines, and the productivity tools that work for you in order to create your own plan for success.

Sales.

Some entrepreneurs get stuck here, every entrepreneur is a sales person whether they want to be or not. They are either selling their ideas, products or services to customers, investors or employees. They work to be there when customers are ready to buy. Alternately, they know how to let go and move on when they are not. If you're always nervous about selling, try enrolling in a sales workshop to learn this much needed skill.

The ability to manage people.

You need to know how to manage people well. Early on in your business, you will be everyone's manager, so it pays to be effective. Entrepreneurs should know how to motivate and encourage the employees. Only by learning to leverage employees, vendors and other resources will an entrepreneur build a scalable company. They need to learn to network to meet the right people. Entrepreneurs strive to guarantee they will get honest and timely feedback from all these sources.

Adapting to change.

Change they say is constant! Successful entrepreneurs realize they don't know everything and the market is constantly changing. You have to be willing to go with the trend or change. You know what brilliant entrepreneurs does? They stay up to date on new systems, technology, and industry trends.

Strategy implementation.

You need to dedicate your time to simply dreaming about what you want for your business. Where would you like to take it? What's your vision for it? Now, how can you get there from here? Set your goals, and then develop an actionable plan to make them a reality. Then, don't forget about those goals. Keep them at the front and center to everything you do.

Take your time.

You don't need to rush things. Most entrepreneurs are not patient; they sometimes focus only on what comes next, rather than where the company needs to go. Overnight success may take 5 years or more. Entrepreneurs need to stop, pause and plan again at several intervals. Take a step at a time!
Don't be discouraged, you can learn some of these skills. Your eventual success depends on it.
See you at the top!

Femi Adefioye is a financial consultant. He is also an Analyst. He has a wealth creation blog http://entrepreneurship-skills.blogspot.com where he writes life transforming articles on entrepreneurship and wealth themes.

Notice - You are allowed to publish this article in its entirety provided that author's name, bio and website links must remain intact, active and included with every reproduction.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Femi_Adefioye/271306

Entrepreneurial Capitalism - Skills Acquisition, Community Empowerment and Microfinance

What is the strategic link among abundant resources, human development and economic development? What is the critical and strategic connection between human capital and economic progress? Why does income inequality persist in spite of significant economic growth? What are some sure paths to social mobility? What are some sure paths to the middle class-the most critical stabilizing force in all societies? Some answers to these nagging policy questions loom large and inform current debates on prudent policy options to cope with the intractable problem of high unemployment of graduates from institutions of higher learning in developing nations in general and in Sub-Saharan Africa in particular.

A meta-analysis of extant academic literature suggests income inequality is persistent in both developed and developing nations in spite of demonstrable and significant economic growth. There are many theoretical, structural and empirical reasons for the widening gap between return to capital and labor on one hand, and compensation to management and workers on the other. For example, capital tends to be more productive, more mobile and receive very favorable tax treatment than labor in many jurisdictions.

Further, global competition, innovation, slower productivity growth, and marginal rate of technical substitution may be depressing wages even in developed nations. Moreover, the benefits of globalization continue to accrue more unevenly to highly skilled labor than to low skilled labor. Finally, periods of economic growth tend correlate with increasing income inequality because different economic sectors as well as individuals do not grow at the same pace.

As we have already explained in many publications on this topic, human capital analysis deals with acquired capabilities which are developed through formal and informal education at school and at home, and through on the job training, experience, and mobility and longevity in the labor market. Please note that nations as well as individuals are portfolios of distinctive competencies that derive from resources and capabilities. Many nations in the developing nations have plenty of resources but lack capabilities-the ability to put them to productive uses.

Clearly, mere possession of resources alone is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for economic development. Functional human capital that manifests in enhanced productivity and innovation is the critical and strategic link between resources and economic development. A preliminary analysis of macroeconomic data indicates that the problem of economic stagnation is not peculiar to developing nations nor confined there. Indeed, for many years in developing nations such as Nigeria, significant percentage of all graduates from institutions of higher learning are underemployed, have contract jobs with no employment benefits or no jobs at all even after the National Service and certification.

Many labor market experts and social observers are apt to point to the glaring lack of requisite knowledge and employable skills in high demand. While this may be true, lack of functional education that leads to employment is only part of the problem. There is significant and gathering empirical evidence suggesting that many of the employed university graduates in Nigeria go without pay or regular compensation for extended periods of time and still others are on contract employment with meager income and no employment benefits or guaranteed ongoing employment.

Before you postulate that skills acquisition is neither a panacea nor the fastest way to employment, please note that employable knowledge and skills are necessary but not sufficient condition for social mobility. This explains in part why many graduates from Colleges of Education and Technical Colleges in very high demand in tightening labor markets do not fare significantly better than those from Liberal Arts or even Business and Engineering Schools.

Therefore, the purpose of Skills Acquisition projects adopted by the Okwelle Skills Acquisition Center (OSAC) is to help graduates and entrepreneurs take effective steps toward functional education, knowledge and skills acquisition, self-employment, self-reliance and financial independence. As sure paths to the middle class and upward social mobility, any knowledge and skills acquisition project must focus on producing entrepreneurs-a crop of graduates with burning desire for self-employment, self-reliance and financial independence. The graduates must not only have requisite knowledge and skills of their specific trade but must be entrepreneurs who are business savvy with demonstrable grasp of business management knowledge and skills. Please note that all entrepreneurs are business owners but not all business owners are entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurs are special breed of business owners that assume every risk in pursuit of profit and financial freedom. Without the entrepreneurial class other factors of production-land, labor and capital including technology remain dormant and are classified in our profession-financial engineering as non-performing assets. As some experts aptly put it, once you decide to work for yourself you never go back working for someone else. Generally, people don not plan to fail, they simply fail to plan. Additionally, freedom whether spiritual, economic or political is indivisible and must be pursued relentlessly. The passionate drive toward financial freedom is the critical difference that sets entrepreneurs apart.

The Okwelle Skills Acquisition Center Model:

The concept of Skills Acquisition as a vehicle for community empowerment and development is not new. The concepts, principles and challenges are well established in the relevant academic literature. Please see a textbook on same topic for a complete historical sketch on Skills Acquisition principles that informed many Trade schools and Technical colleges, Apprenticeship programs, etc before the Nigerian Civil War. The Okwelle Skills Acquisition Center (OSAC) concept is focused on practical and technology-oriented programs of study.

The OSAC predominantly will offer vocation and career-focused, accredited certificate programs to students drawn from the Niger Delta Region with Imo State as hub and magnet for industries. The Okwelle Skills Acquisition Center will fully integrate functional skills and micro-financing to make the vision of self-employment, self-reliance and financial freedom a reality for our graduates. The Private Public Partnership (PPP Model)-OSAC key strategy is well established and proven. When the relationship with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is fully formalized, the OSAC intends to leverage our network with global institutions, articulation agreements with institutions of higher learning in United States, Okigwe in diaspora and friends of Okigwe to execute our mission and attain our strategic objectives.

And because our associates live in the target communities, they bring contextual familiarity to community-based issues. This allows OSAC to avoid policies, analyses and programs which are not tethered to reality. OSAC will seek creative collaboration and strategic partnerships by engaging with global institutions such as the World Bank, IMF, USAID and other Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) with common mission and NDDC through information sharing, dialogue, and consultation at global, national and state levels. Knowledge is OSAC strategic weapon.

Some Operational Guidance:

Many new ventures fail. Therefore, a critical objective of effective skills acquisition projects is to help new entrepreneurs minimize the failure rate of new ventures. Entrepreneurs must have a strong grasp of business fundamentals such as effective management of people, process and products. Additionally, entrepreneurs who undertake new business ventures should proceed with a known probability of success. The OSAC project will integrate microfinance, knowledge and skills acquisition with the 3Ms of successful small business venture (Money, Management and Marketing).

As you know, many non-business majors such as architects, dentists, pediatricians, and lawyers, etc go through university without taking requisite business courses. However, upon graduation they become small business owners of private practice. These deficiencies are then made up in a hurry through on the job training or hiring business managers. However, without a working knowledge of the fundamentals of business enterprise, small business owners become totally dependent on business managers. Agency problem arises when the interests of business owners are divergent from the interests of business managers whether they full-time employees or outside help. Agency problem aside, small business owners must understand what the numbers mean to provide effective leadership, oversight and control. Therefore, the OSAC curricula will include the role of appropriate business systems and functional areas of business anchored on sound management principles and current industry best practices.

A preliminary review of failed small businesses indicates a common pattern: Lack of attention to the 3Ms of business enterprise: Money, management and marketing. Additionally, many small businesses ignore the business entity concept: The activities of a business should be recorded separately from the activities of the owners. Indeed, the personal activities of a small business owner should be separate and distinct from the activities of the business entity. Many small businesses get into trouble for failure to draw this distinction, particularly with respect to cash flows and uses of cash derived from business operations.

Proposed Programs of Study

There will be seven programs of study at OSAC: The School of Information Technology, the School of Drafting and Design, the School of Electronics Technology, the School of Business Technology, the School of Agricultural Technology, the School of Health Technology and the School of Nursing. The OSAC will impart skills and knowledge that our graduates can use to pursue employment opportunities in today's world.

The OSAC programs of study will blend traditional academic content with applied learning concepts, with a significant portion devoted to practical study in a lab environment. Advisory Councils will comprise of representatives of local businesses and employers that will help each OSAC program periodically assess and update curricula-learning modules, equipment and laboratory design.

Some Strategic Objectives

(1) Beyond the development of human capacity and the building of a continually growing pool of trained workforce, the OSAC will encourage the culture of self-employment and self-reliance for employment and job creation. The ultimate aim of the OSAC will be to encourage the continuous upgrading of our domestic productive processes and capacities and innovation-the adoption of new ways of doing things.

(2) OSAC envisions Financial Literacy seminars under the rubric of Business Technology program that will afford our communities access to income-generating workshops, empowering and reinforcing their self-reliance. Okwelle Skills Acquisition Center with integrated Microfinance programs will provide access to credit, adequate training and cultivating in our graduates the importance of saving and investment.

(3) OSAC plans to provide tools and training to increase farming production at the local level. The Niger Delta Region in general and old Okigwe-Otanzu Otanchara in particular have the natural endowment and the requisite human capital to become the food basket of the South-East. OSAC will encourage community farms where they can implement new techniques and fully mechanized agriculture and industrial food processing.

Prof. James Gaius Ibe, is the Principal-At Large/Chairman, of the Global Group, LLC-Political Economists and Financial Engineering Consultants; and a senior professor of Economics, Finance and Marketing Management at one of the local universities.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/James_Gaius_Ibe/74593

Top 4 Challenges for a Startup Entrepreneur to Overcome

I can tell you from my experience that starting a new business can be both scary and exciting. This is because, at any point in time, a new company can find itself among a number of challenges and obstacles. From hiring the apt team to making the business grow, from improving the brand's image to delivering the key message, startup entrepreneurs need to overcome many challenges in order to secure success and stability.

What I have seen that being a startup entrepreneur, one find leadership challenges the biggest hurdle when trying to catch the way to success. Do you want to know why?

When you used to do an office job as an individual, the organization would promote you for your technical competence most times, and seldom for your leadership skills only. But when you are starting your own business, there is a remarkable change in roles and responsibilities. Success does not come only from what you know, but from what you do to grow and develop others.

When I used to be a startup entrepreneur, I have gained some perspective on how to face and overcome leadership challenges. Today, I am going to share with you all that I learned. Let's have a look at some most common challenges you will face as you undergo the transition - from an office job to entrepreneurship, and how to overcome them.

Communication

Most solutions to leadership challenges are hidden in simple communication and strong relationships with the employees of a company. So try to keep the lines of communication open always with your team leaders, even if you have already hired the people who believe in you, are equally passionate about your goals, and are ready to put in as much hard work as you are putting through. A communication with strong emphasis on your vision will bring comfort not only between you and your business team leaders but also in the entire company as a whole.

And you will get an added bonus. As your team leaders also serve the front line of your business, they can have an impression on happy clients. This way, your organization becomes trustworthy, which eventually translates into long-term customers.

Competition

Competition is one of the biggest challenges that all the startups face, especially in industries dominated by reputed, established brands. The main thing is to find a niche market, not yet saturated by other enterprises with the same products. If there is another company offering the similar products, you should start thinking out of the box to get an edge over your competitors. This is really essential for building a clear target audience and convey a particular brand message to differentiate your startup business from other players out there.

Keeping the pace with the change

Information around the world is constantly evolving due to the continuous development of technology. Also, more countries and industries are shifting online. Not only keeping up but staying ahead of the competitors is a challenge for startup companies. With plans to roll a startup out into different markets, you need to approach each country with customized strategies based on the market conditions. Be enough flexible to review and adjust your business philosophy and plan in order to meet your customers' needs.

Leading vs. Managing

Many startup entrepreneurs feel confused between leadership and management. Management is all about managing workflow, overall budget or time, whereas leadership is all about inspiring, sharing a vision and purpose, and giving direction.

When you learn how to share your vision and bring more confidence in your team leaders, they will bring more confidence in the teams in return.

Being perfect in leadership & business is an ongoing process that needs patience and discipline. Start following these methods, and put your foot forward towards overcoming prospective leadership challenges.

Kamalika De is a digital marketing executive by profession and pursues her passion for writing as well. Connect with her at https://in.linkedin.com/in/kamalikade.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Kamalika_De/2197820

7 Things You Can Do EVERYDAY To Become A BETTER Entrepreneur!

Becoming a successful entrepreneur is not something that happens over night. It's a daily battle to be your best version of yourself all the time. It takes constant work and self-education.

If you want to run a successful business you have to plan for the future. You should have weekly, monthly and yearly goals. Most importantly it takes action to be successful with those goals. Here are seven things you can do every day to become a better entrepreneur and accomplish all of your goals.

1. Always work on one project at a time.

We are most effective when we are working on one project at a time. Make sure to stick to your plan for the day until moving on to another project. This is crucial in order for each project to be excellent. Remember, were not striving for perfection, were striving for excellence.

2. Don't give your time away to others.

One of the best ways to ruin a productive day is to give into distractions. We all know that distractions come from just about anywhere and they can be very tempting to give into. When we are distracted we lose focus and then lose all control over what were doing. I know that it can be difficult to be the one saying "no" all the time to your friends parties and random beach days but this is a very important part of being a successful entrepreneur.

3. Plan each day the night before.

When we fail to plan we are planning to fail. Without a plan for the day it's very easy to end up at the end of the day wondering why you haven't gotten anything done. Being a successful entrepreneur requires self discipline and a daily plan. Try getting the most difficult task of the day done first thing so that the rest of your day will feel a lot easier and you won't wast a lot of your energy thinking about that "difficult" task all day.

4. Wake up earlier.

Deciding what time to wake up is a personal choice and a lot of people want to be entrepreneurs so that they can wake up when they choose. It is important to feel well rested to get the most out of your day but make sure your not sleeping more than you need to. After all remember that the early bird gets the worm. When you wake up before everyone else you can use the quiet time to meditate on what your plans are for the day and also get some exercise in to clear your mind. This is an important formula for many very successful entrepreneurs.

5. Start your day with a positive attitude.

Right when you wake up begin to think of things that you are grateful for. If this is something that you have trouble with you can read affirmations to yourself to assure that you are feeding your mind what it needs. It can be very difficult to have a positive outlook when the first thing you do is checking your Facebook or emails. There's so much negativity on the internet that it's very important for us to feed our mind with what it needs the most first thing in the morning.

6. Respect your work-life boundaries.

As entrepreneurs, it can be very easy to go weeks without leaving your home. After all there is nobody telling us to stop working or when to start working. We'll maybe the wife/husband but we all know how that goes. We're all about getting the most out of our days and pushing it to the limit. Don't forget to spend time with people that are important to you and on hobbies that you enjoy. This is all part of living a good life.

7. Stay organized.

Staying organized is essential to getting the most out of your days. You want to have a DMO (daily method of operation. Set up a schedule of exactly how many hours and when your going to work on certain tasks. This will save you lots of time and you can get right what you need to do. Yes there will be things that come up everyday that can take you away from your schedule but it will be easy to make these adjustments as they come up.

There are more than seven things to put on this list, of course, but these are a good start to get you on your way.

Overall, the main goal of entrepreneurship is to create freedom in your life and make an impact in the lives of those whom your business serves. To do that, you need a plan, focus and constant growth both personally and in your business. Set yourself up for success each day, and strive to get better.

Were these helpful? There are others out there that could use this advice, feel free to share around and drop me a comment if you found this helpful!

Did This Help You? If so, I would greatly appreciate it if you commented below and shared on Facebook

Own The Life's Lifestyle Blog
Skype: ownthelife
Email: adam@ownthelife.org

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Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Adam_Thibert/2299074

Tips For Overcoming Fear And Overwhelm In Your Digital Business

When starting out on your business, the entrepreneurial journey cannot and should not be rushed. It is different for everyone because it's a personal journey.

Often, new entrepreneurs in our community who feel overwhelmed send me little emails asking me "how long I think it will take for them to start seeing some sign of life in their new business"

If you are an entrepreneur and you find yourself often asking this question, know that you are not alone. But asking such questions certainly doesn't help produce your success.

It is such a poor quality question that the best you can possibly get out of this frequency is more overwhelm and self-doubt.

In my little greenhouse this question was presented to me yet again by a new member who just joined our mastermind. She is not a newbie as an entrepreneur and has been struggling her way into success for a long time in her traditional business.

As she now seeks to transition into the online business, she's realizing that those same methods can only produce the same old results, which is a far cry from her heart's desire. The new freedom and success that she would love to enjoy in her digital business is going to require a new mindset.

When she asked me " how long is it going to take?" I told her the same thing I am going to tell you, if that's something you often wonder.

It will take only as much time as is needed for you to manifest the prosperity you desire.

Stop asking such low quality questions! They can only sabotage the goodness that's trying to make its way into your life.

Albert Einstein is among the brilliant minds whose known to place emphasis on asking high quality questions.

If you go to Google and type in a low quality question, you can only receive a low quality answer. All the answers are there, but you will only have access to the answers that come close to your question.

Similarly, if you go to life and ask such low quality questions, you can't possibly expect the highest and best answers to make their way into your experience.

So, do yourself and your business a huge favor and stop sabotaging your incubating success with those negative thoughts. This is why we have meetings in my little greenhouse, because I realized the need to create a space where fellow entrepreneurs can come and feel safe enough to dream, to mastermind and to nurture the seeds they've sown in their business.

Since fear is one of the biggest evils in the world, we must always be on the lookout for the tricks and seductive measures it may use to lure us in.

It isn't that fear is powerful; rather it's our minds that haven't been properly trained and developed.

After many years of poor mental and spiritual diets, our mental muscles are frail and so when we have a big dream, when we go after prosperity and freedom through digital entrepreneurship, we've got to make sure that certain measures are also at hand to help strengthen and develop the right mental attitudes and maintain the right atmosphere.

So if you have been struggling with overwhelm, that's OK just learn to move through it quickly.

If you are the kind of person who feels like you have too many ideas that you don't know which action to take first, that's OK too, just don't allow yourself to become paralyzed by that.

I can't tell you how many people I talk to who feel stuck because they don't know whether to podcast, shoot videos, publish articles, write a book, create a course or do webinar trainings first.

Listen, the choices in the online world are endless, if you get caught up in the hype that marketers sell us each day over "which big thing to do now to gain 1000 subscribers fast" you'll never start anything!

Stop being blown away by the winds of online marketing and start following your own game plan.

Designing your digital lifestyle and living life on your own terms begins with learning to carve out your own best path, not blindly following gurus.

If you struggle with thoughts such as:

• What if I fail?
• What if I become too successful and end up losing my family relationships, friends etc.
• What if more success means more hard work?
• Will things change if I have more money?
• Who am I to really think I can create an online empire.

These are all just patterns of thought that form your paradigms. It is the paradigm that you seriously want to work on so that you can renew your mindset to one that favors the growth and success of your business.

The topic of paradigms and your mind would require an entire lesson of which time doesn't permit here, but I certainly encourage you to check out our website because there's a downloadable complimentary lesson on the mind and paradigms.

For now, here are a few tips that will help

Whenever you catch yourself in that space of overwhelm, self-doubt, discouragement and fear, do the following:

1. Take 6 deep breaths paying close attention to your breathing.

2. Acknowledge the achievements you've made in your life. There are certain things you've accomplished so far, bring those to mind, acknowledge that, and celebrate it.

3. Connect to your vision and ground yourself in that. Reconnect with why you're even choosing this entrepreneurial path. What is your big "why" - and this is where your purpose comes in.

If the driving power for this chosen path isn't something deep, passionate and beautiful, you won't be able to fuel yourself into victory. The right desire is all-important; so make sure you get very clear on yours.

4. From this space of having connected with your vision and falling back into alignment with it, consider what you have now, where you stand, that you can use to move forward.

Learn to start with what you have, where you are, not what you don't have.

Stop seeing what you don't have or what's missing in order for you to move toward your dream and start finding what you've already got working for you. And I will not accept that you don't have anything - there's always something.

We live and move and have our being in the midst of divine intelligence and divine love; there's got to be something no matter how small that you can use now. Ask the divine power breathing you, and He will give you a clue as to what you could use.

5. It's time for inspired action. Take just one baby step action today that will move you toward your vision.

Something that will move you a step closer in the direction of your dream and that desire that you hold in your heart. It doesn't have to be anything big, just make sure it's meaningful, in service to your dream and that you enjoy doing it.

Finally, may I encourage you to just allow yourself to be in the flow of your life and the season that you're in.

If you stop trying to force things to become what they aren't yet ready to be, you'll dissolve many of the aches, pains and frustrations that currently surround you.

Life is perfectly unfolding, divine intelligence is all around you and as long as you do your part to the best of your ability and in true faith, life will always deliver far richer manifestations than you could ever produce through willpower.

Recommended resource: 3 Things That Will Help You Develop A Growth Mindset As An Entrepreneur: http://www.boldbeautifulblissfulu.com/3-things-will-help-develop-a-growth-mindset-as-an-entrepreneur/

Author Janette Getui is the founder of Bold Beautiful Blissful U. Janette is considered the prosperity junkie and she's an internationally published author who helps individuals get breakthroughs that the masses still consider impossible.

With her down to earth, simple and almost childlike approach to spiritual science and new thought teachings, she strives to remind others just like you, that all things are possible for the mind that learns how to tune into the right frequency.

Her personal journey from an uneducated slum child to the digital entrepreneur speaks volumes of what is possible for you, when you learn how to cultivate the right mindset and get bolder.

Visit our main website: http://www.boldbeautifulblissfulu.com

Connect with Janette:@janettegetui

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Janette__Getui/1662232

Overcome the Fear of Becoming an Entrepreneur

"Less than 1% of people have the courage to face their fears, take risks, create their own businesses, change their lifestyles and become an entrepreneur."

Everyone experiences fear in their lives, even the most successful entrepreneurs out there. The people who became entrepreneurs have had to face and overcome their fears before they became entrepreneurs. But most people can't overcome this fear, so they carry on living ordinary lives working for the boss.

Fear can take many forms such as being afraid to change, being afraid of the outcome of failure, being afraid of what others think you are doing etc. Fear also disguises itself as excuses, for instance 'I'm not ready to start my own business because I don't have time'. Underneath this excuse is fear.

I am here to share with you 3 Key Concepts that will gradually diminish the fear of becoming an entrepreneur.

THE VISION CONCEPT

Having a Vision of how you want to live your life as an entrepreneur is a powerful concept. Creating a vision first starts with realising what you really want your life to be like in the future. You will start to focus on the thing that is driving you, and this will be a big part of your Courage and Motivation to take the leap into entrepreneurship.

Creating a vision will not only drive you to achieve what you want, but your fear of achieving it will start to naturally fade away because there is no stopping you if you have a powerful vision backing you up.

THE BELIEF CONCEPT

Having a strong Belief goes hand in hand with your vision. You can have a great vision, but if you don't Really believe in it, you can't be an entrepreneur.

To really believe in something means that you will continue to pursue your belief no matter what struggles you will face to get there, and even more importantly no matter who tells you that it can't be done or it's not possible.

A strong belief will not get rid of your fear completely, but it will allow you to face it, and overtime your fear of becoming an entrepreneur will start to fade away.

THE ACTION CONCEPT

The last piece of the puzzle is taking Action.

If you haven't developed a vision and belief system, then at some point in time you will give up because your mind-set is not in the right place. When your mind-set is built up and ready to go, then it's time to apply yourself as an entrepreneur.

Once you start taking consistent action in your life and business, overtime you will start to see results, your motivation will improve and most importantly your fear will get to a point where it seems like it doesn't even exist anymore.

Remember the 3 Key Concepts

1. Create a Vision of what you want
2. Have the Belief that you can achieve it
3. Take Action to get there

My Website - [http://lotusnation.com/]

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Ediz_Emin/2298150

Should I Start My Own Lawn Care Business?

Starting a lawn care business can be easier than you think. Really the difficult part is deciding on how you want to operate your business. I've had my own business for about five years now, and look forward to helping someone who is interested in getting in the field. So I have put together some questions that you should ask yourself before you start your business.

Decide whether you want your business as part time, or a full time venture?

I attend college while I run my lawn care business on the side. If you're just starting out and don't have a job already you're going to have to remember "Rome wasn't built in a day." If you have bills you need to pay, at least get a part time job doing something else. You could even work for another lawn care company. The goal Is to get enough clientele until you can branch out on your own, and still support your needs. I have a friend who works 40+ hours at a local landscape company, and on the weekends he runs his own lawn care route. You have to remember lawn care is seasonal, so having a second job can save you in the winter.

Do you want to eventually have someone running day to day operations?

Sometimes people think because you're the boss you can just sit back and relax. This is not true, if you want to be able to just sit back and put bids on jobs, you are going to need to get employee's that you can trust. You have to have someone that can make decisions on your behalf and who will please your customers. You are going to have to mold these employees' in your image.

How are you going to manage your profits, and expenses?

During my business I had pretty much no expenses other than food, insurance, and taxes. So it wasn't hard to budget because as long as I could cover those expenses I could spend as much as I needed. You also need to keep a record of your expenses and mileage for the IRS.

Are you going to do without equipment until you can afford it, or will you finance it until you can pay it off?

Living with my grandparents I was able to purchase a residential Hustler zero turn in cash. If you have too many bills you have two options. You can buy a push mower, and use it until you save enough money for a zero turn, or you can finance a new zero turn on payments. If you buy your equipment on financing, you need to pay the bills monthly. You can use this formula below to calculate your monthly income stream for each yard. (Mows per year*Charge per cut)/(12 Months)

Is working outside something you enjoy doing?

If you don't like working outside, lawn care is not for you. Here in Florida its hot, muggy, and humid. Don't feel bad working outside is not for everyone.

Do you want year round contracts, or are you just wanting summertime work?

The biggest difference between the big companies, and the small ones is the way they do the payment system. Bigger companies will require new customers to get on a one-year contract. This is so that they can have a fixed payment plan throughout the year, regardless of the amount of grass that they cut.

My last and final point. Do you enjoy it?

There is more to lawn care than just mowing, and weed eating. You have to enjoy it. I can say first hand that no one lasts very long that does it for the money. Running a lawn care business, I found that sometimes you're spending as much as you make. If you work hard, and treat people with honesty, you will prosper. Just start small like I did, and work your way up. It won't take more than a year to realize if this is something you want to do full time.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. If you're interested in the field I hope this may have given you some insight on starting your own business.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Colby_Sullivan/2384037

Starting a Service Based Company

Every individual has to take into account, a basic set of guidelines when it comes to starting a service catering Company. The value of service should meet the expectation level of a customer in order to become popular. Many Companies agree that the value of a service should be measured by what the customer is willing to pay for, than on the cost of the services provided.

The purpose of any Company's Service Management department is to ensure that it has the right combination of services in order to balance the investment it has made and the ability to meet business outcomes. Service Management department should contain a catalogue of all services that the Company has promised to its clients it will deliver, the services currently delivered and those that have been taken off the field of its competitors. It should also focus on the aspect the revenue received because of services.

For example, an individual starts a small Company based on services on which he/she is experienced. There will be important factors that he/she has to concentrate on. Some of the important factors that he/she has to consider are: demand, finance, knowledge, problem management and business relationship.

Demand: The popularity of demand stems upon the fact that any new individual starting a Company based on services should have understood, anticipated the importance of influence that the customer can have for his/her type of services. The owner as well the staff should keep tabs on "capacity" to confirm that the services promised to the customer will be provided on time and when it is needed.

Finance: A proper method and source of funding is needed by a Company for designing, developing and delivering services that should comply with the needs of the customer. The financial aspect should have information on costs, issues, benefits and problems that have to be tackled.

Business relationship: A transparent relationship should be established and maintained between the Company and customer. It should also identify customer needs and ensure the services promised to the customer are provided even if the requirements change according to circumstances. Normally, a receptionist or service desk is the first point of contact for a service oriented Company. Extreme care has to be taken in this aspect, because a Company will have excellent parameters and staff but if the service desk is not up the mark, it will lose its position in the market within a short frame of time.

Knowledge: The very purpose is to share ideas, information and experience to confirm that these factors are available at the opportune moment at the required time. A database of issues, problems tackled should be maintained as this will not only save cost but also time in rediscovering knowledge.

Problem Management: An experienced individual or efficient team should be in place to tackle any kind of problems. The team or individual should take steps in the direction to not only solve the problem, but should also identify the root cause if any, keep a tab on recurring problems, design workarounds if needed and minimize the time to restore service as quickly as possible.

A team that is interested in constant learning and redefining themselves according to the circumstances should be selected.

SathyaNarayana B has done Masters in Applied Geology and is interested in writing articles on martial arts, pet care, travel, herbal remedies, daily health tips, recent IT trends, recent IT courses.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Sathya_Narayana/808334

Up-Leveling Your Success - Is a Coach or Mentor Best?

If you look at top business achievers, you will find one common denominator: They didn't do it all alone.

High performing entrepreneurs and business owners know that to truly excel requires guidance and support.

Are you wanting to be a high-performer?

If so, you might be wondering what kind of guidance do you need exactly?

Do you need a mentor or coach?

How can these kinds of advisors best serve in your professional development?

Working With a Mentor

First let's look at the role of a mentor. A mentor is a more experienced individual who offers guidance, friendship, and support based on their past experiences, knowledge and expertise.

Usually there is a level of personal connection as the mentor serves as a role model to help an individual reach their potential.

Working with a Coach

A coach on the other hand serves more as an expert guiding you in a very specific area of performance. If you Google "coach" you'll see coaches for performance, marketing, financial support, sales, business growth, social media support and more.

What's unsettling is that many coaches are self-appointed experts.

While they may present themselves as knowledgeable and highly successful, many could be just one step ahead of you. While they may "talk the talk", you truly don't know if they have the experience or skills to help you succeed.

Advantages of Working with a Mentor

• Outside Perspective - Often we are too close and emotionally tied to our business to see what's really going on. There's a great benefit to someone else taking a bird's-eye view to get a clearer picture of your situation. Sometimes we are too in love with our work to be truthful about areas that need a little work. Your mentor can probe to uncover problem issues that may not be apparent to you.


• Help You Reach Higher - Sometimes we will do things for other people that we wouldn't do for ourselves. Having the accountability of a mentor can help you push harder to reach your goals. Knowing you have to report your results to your mentor can make you go the extra mile to get things done.


• Business Experience - Even if you have years of corporate experience, running your own business can be a real challenge. While you probably know a lot about your particular industry, you may not know enough about running and growing a business. Having someone with experience in creating systems, delegating, marketing, and successfully growing a business is invaluable. Not only can it help you avoid costly mistakes, but it can help you grow farther, faster. Often mentors have proven templates and blueprints to boost your results in a number of areas.


• Cheerleader - Being a business owner can be a real roller coaster ride. There are days you are on top of the world. But there are also days you doubt yourself. You wonder if you should throw in the towel. Everything seems to be going wrong. You don't know what to do. It is in those times that a mentor can dust you off and get you back on your feet again. Staying positive and motivated is key to keeping your business moving forward daily.

5 Common Blind-spots That Crush Our Success

As a mentor, I have worked with dozens of small business owners over the years. When entrepreneurs come to me for help, there are some common areas I see them struggling with.

Here are the most common "stories" we tell ourselves about our business that keep us stuck:

1. Being In Squirrel Mode. When you spread yourself too thin, it's hard to fully monetize your business. One big mistake I see people make is when one thing isn't working, they see the next "shiny object" and try something new. The result is they never fully put in the work it takes to make a new objective take off. Having a mentor can help you find the focus you need to experience growth. They can help you create a plan to use your money, resources, and time in ways that laser focus your results.


2. Not Admitting When Wrong. Being your own boss is awesome. You get to call all the shots and be captain of your own ship. But the problem is that you always get to be "right" - even when you aren't. There can be great value to having a mentor to reframe your situation and show you areas that need improvement that you may be overlooking. Having someone speak the truth to you when it's needed is critical to growth.


3. Getting Stuck in Victim Mode. It can actually be cathartic to gripe and moan about how busy you are, or how out of control things have gotten, etc. but some people find a certain kind of honour in projecting themselves as a martyr that way. But people who succeed know the value is healing those wounded areas. A mentor can hold your feet to the fire and help you move through the bleeding wounds and address the bigger issues.


4. Not Looking in The Mirror. It's your team's fault. Your software isn't working right. The market has changed... The excuses can go on forever. Until you realize that you are 100% responsible for everything that happens in your life and business, nothing changes. A mentor will be honest with you about the role you played in failures. They can help you learn the lesson, grow, and move on. Personal growth is key to your success.


5. Trying to Do it All Themselves. Women are especially hard on themselves when it comes to thinking they should know everything they need to know to run a business. It's a sign of weakness ineptitude if they don't, so they set off to learn everything all themselves. The problem is, the more they set off to learn someone else's skillset and expertise, the less they are focusing on their own core competency and thus, not on their own business. A mentor can help you determine what you should be doing yourself to grow and expand your business, and what you should be outsourcing and delegating. This allows you to take advantage of someone else's skillset so you can spend more time focusing on your own.

Work Smarter, Not Harder - Mentoring Can Help

I'd love to provide you with the empowered support you need to grow your business. As your mentor, we'll look at what's working, what's not, and create a plan to move you forward.

Susan Friesen is the founder of eVision Media, a boutique web development and Digital Marketing firm of over 15 years that specializes in designing, building and marketing professional, unique websites for entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations.

Visit http://www.ultimatewebsiteguide.ca and grab your FREE "Ultimate Guide to Improving Your Website's Profitability - 10 Critical Questions You Must Ask to Get Maximum Results".

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Susan_Friesen/260293

10 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Change the Social & Economic Story

Men and women who create for-profit and nonprofit new ventures can and should do things of the kind that the President-Elect is likely to neglect, negate, or avoid. Entrepreneurs can quietly change the story, one organization at a time, whatever government may or may not do.

Here are ten ways venture founders can alter the course implied by what we know of Donald Trump's intentions. They are all within our own authority, not those of government. We can:

1. actively appreciate the economic and social needs of disadvantaged groups and consider how our own organization can make a difference-or start a new one that can; at least ensure that our own organization does not contribute to disadvantage;
2. be inquisitive about rural and underserved populations adversely impacted by political, economic and tech change-and examine ways that our organization can make a positive contribution, including the offer of products, services or employment;
3. create inclusive policies on gender, gender identity, race, national origin & religion; offer all employees dignity & respect, provide healthcare, parental leave, clear policies on sexual harassment, & the opportunity for participation in decision-making and sharing organizational success;
4. take the opportunity to participate in the life of local communities to mutual advantage, through direct civic engagement, as well as supporting employee volunteering; become involved in community supported enterprises;
5. evaluate all practices of the organization that may contribute directly or indirectly to climate change-and introduce ways that will reduce pollution; seek to be powered by clean energy and move to zero waste;
6. ensure that the pay ratio between the highest and lowest paid members of the organization does not exceed 20:1 (as it was in 1965) to reduce financial inequity, given that the ratio between average American CEO pay and worker pay is now 303:1;
7. re-examine the consequences of all purchasing decisions, in order to avoid pain and hardship, either in supplier organizations or the local and global community; research supplier behaviors on socio-economic parameters;
8. commit to support the lifelong learning of all members of the organization, regardless of where they are starting or what position they hold-through internal development programs and external qualifications;
9. employ socially responsible financial policies that do not disfavor any stakeholder, either close at hand or nationally, as well as avoiding immoral or self-serving practices, such as the avoidance of repatriating foreign profits;
10. build a widely communicated progressive corporate story that is reflected through the behaviors of everyone in the organization and enshrined in all official organizational procedures; regularly monitor its reality.

The USA is #1 on the Global Entrepreneurship Index (GEI) for 2017

GEI scores 137 countries on 14 pillars of a healthy entrepreneurship ecosystem

Write to Will Keyser (will@startupowl.com) of Venture Founders LLC and help to change the world. Please spread the word and join the debate.

Excavation Entrepreneur

Startup lessons from a patient archaeologist

The two words, 'excavation' and 'entrepreneur,' are most likely to conjure up a construction site with giant yellow excavators. But if you were talking about Stuart Wilson you would be wrong.

Lost Medieval City Beneath the Sod

Stuart Wilson, 37, is a graduate archaeologist-and entrepreneur, though he might not classify himself as such. He was a toll collector when he invested in his passion: archaeological excavation. He followed a conviction that he was on the trail of a long lost major medieval city in Trellech, Wales.

Whereas he might have put a deposit on a home, or bought a sports car, he actually bought a 4.6 acre field-for £32,000 (about $40,000 at current exchange rates). He used his life savings and took out a bank loan to cover the cost. His mother, Barbara, said at the time, "Ah well, if you don't find anything, it'll make a nice picnic site." So he had a risk mitigation plan right from the start!

This field was where he was pretty sure part of the lost city lay, buried beneath the farmland. He was sure enough of his passion that he gave up his job in the toll booth and settled in to demonstrate that his passion was about something real-and important, through digging up the site.

Without formal backers for his enterprise, he invested heavily of his time and energy, and precious little else, except an army of probably as many as 1,000 volunteers from across Europe as well as the locality, over the last eleven years.

The volunteers included archaeology students, who paid a small fee ($61 a day) to participate, as well as people from the surrounding areas. He also raised funds by selling T-shirts and other small scale revenue producing efforts. So convinced was Stuart, that he gave up his full-time job and worked shifts at a betting shop to help fund the project.

A Hidden Manor House

One of the major finds has been the remains of a large medieval manor house. But many other buildings, artifacts and whole streets have been unearthed. Stuart believes that there is much more that will see the light of day.

He was amazed to find that walls were fully intact, and floors, a well, drains, road surfaces, cobbled pavements, entrances, and now a fireplace with a chimney and a courtyard have all been found. Though they have unearthed parts of a street, know where many more exist, since they are still used as roads or tracks.

But now, following massive world-wide media attention, he envisions permanent on-site dig structures, an interpretive centre and recreations of Trellech buildings. His persistence is now paying off and he is dreaming much bigger. What in entrepreneurial terms one might call scaling. Part of the scaling might include a takeover-of more land, surrounding his own plot, since it holds but a fraction of the sprawling lost city.

Entrepreneurial Characteristics

From my own 50 years of living, observing and writing about entrepreneurship, I have come to distill seven characteristics that will almost certainly be present in a person who creates a new venture of any kind. Such a person:

1. is predisposed to action-"I could have done that, but... ", you've heard many people say something similar, they never do;
2. enjoys investigating & innovating- comments on the idea like, "it'll never be worth it, because... " incite finding a solution;
3. experiences learning as a way of life-rather than shutting up shop and sticking to the known;
4. tolerates ambiguity-and allows creativity to resolve it, often coming up with innovative solutions to problems;
5. is a (controlled) risk-taker-will always consider how to deal with the downside;
6. is able to put vision into practice-the passion has to have an expression in reality;
7. while remaining very much in the present-to deal with the unexpected rather than being floored by it.

Stuart manifests most of these characteristics and his venture is now maturing. He comments that, "As a result of buying the field, my parents had many years of servitude." In the case of almost any new venture, friends and family tend to be its best and most patient backers. In Stuart's case this has certainly been the case, though he has now moved out of home, to a toilet block he converted to a home in the local town of Chepstow.

Stuart also suggested that, "When you are a small fish in a big pond, then bigger fish tend to ignore you, leaving you alone." However, his time of swimming in a 'Blue Ocean' where there are few predators, is now ending-as he is discovering.

He knows that he's beginning to swim in a 'Red Ocean,' where a lot of blood is spilled, as competitors fight for prey. His solution like many entrepreneurs faced with that situation, is to become "a much bigger fish to make them think twice about attempting to take a bite."

Financial Bootstrapping: The Stuart Wilson Example

Much that is written about entrepreneurship assumes that significant amounts of capital are needed. However, the reverse is true for about 99 per cent of new ventures started on a wing and a prayer. Stuart bootstrapped his venture big time. He cobbled together enough revenue and muscle to persist in his endeavor-a bootstrapper par excellence.

It is a particularly interesting example of bootstrapping, in that he did not set up a business, or even a nonprofit to achieve his ends. His venture is an example of something that is happening ever more frequently-and especially in the hands of creative individuals like Stuart, who don't find that any conventional kind of organization meets their needs, and may not even think that they need a legal structure to change the world, anyway.

Of course, there are many instances in which it becomes necessary to have a formal legal entity. Stuart is now faced with choices that he did not need to confront at the outset. Two things have happened as a result of his efforts. First, he is beginning to gain traction, as the startup jargon calls it. The venture capitalists might call traction 'evidence of market demand,' and in Stuart's case, it is the sheer numbers of people that have become involved with his dig, as a consequence of its revealed importance.

The second thing that has happened, is the notoriety he has been receiving from the world's press and television media. That kind of public attention has followed disruptive startups in many sectors. When they can no longer contain their success, predators start showing an interest. There have been numerous instances of that happening. One of the more spectacular recent examples was the behemoth Walmart's acquisition of jet.com-the online retailer.

In the case of the Lost City of Trellech, it is not buyers who may be circling the site, but government bodies or professional associations who may consider that such an important archaeological site cannot be left to what they may consider a maverick, despite his professional degree.

Potential Predator Poses a Problem

Right now, Cadw, the historic monuments arm of the Welsh Government threaten to 'schedule' his site. Stuart refuses to accept that they should take control, just as a business founder might fend off a takeover suitor. He has been assured by current officials that things would stay as they are, with him running the show. But he is savvy enough to know that officials come and go, just like management in an acquiring company.

Wanting to reach an accommodation, Stuart has offered to form a Heritage Partnership Agreement with Cadw, so that they can work together, without him losing control. But he's not leaving it there. He is about to write an open letter to the Welsh Government to bolster public opinion in his favor.

It is not surprising that he has started this one-man lobbying effort, since he now has plans to turn the site into an public attraction. Stuart has submitted plans for an archaeological research centre and camp site to Monmouthshire County Council, signaling the dig site as "a valuable community asset that supports local tourism, hotels and pubs." To ram the point home, he adds that it's also, "an important archaeological site as well as a training and educational facility."

Now that's scaling, business or otherwise, and Trellech, the Lost City of Wales would inspire any aspiring entrepreneur who lacks big bucks, but dreams big.

Note: Stuart's dad, Alan, applied for a job in total quality in our company. At his group interview, he demonstrated the quality process by baking a loaf of bread before our eyes in the office, portable oven and all. He got the job and worked with us for several years. Clearly, creativity runs in the family.

William Keyser, a veteran entrepreneur, is Managing Director of Venture Founders LLC: How To Start a Business. Startup Owl offers a wealth of free information and advice to would-be and early stage entrepreneurs.

Will is a veteran entrepreneur with VC experience and he is committed to help business startups to: clarify their business purpose; sharpen their business model; better their business plan; speed their market entry; offer customer value; finance their business right; grow their business strongly; survive their business challenges-more effectively than they might do on their own.

Will taught strategy and entrepreneurship on an MBA program for 7 years and his book, Founders Are Storytellers is available from his website.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/William_Keyser/56299