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7 First Year Priorities for Entrepreneurs

August 20, 2009 by SOBCon Authors 1 Comment

I recently had the opportunity to review a book for entrepreneurs that had some great advice, a list of seven priorities for the critical first year of business. The more I thought about this list, the more important that it seemed to me. So I have decided to create a series of posts elaborating on this theme. While “Young Guns” is targeted to a just-out-of-college-and-wondering-what-to-do market, I believe that these priorities apply to anyone starting a new venture.

In the book Robert Tuchman writes:

1. Build a culture of action and enthusiasm – During the first year, you will face a lot of questions about your experience.The best – and probably only – way to overcome them is to impress your clients with your vigor and dynamism. If you want to be perceived as youthful, forward-thinking, and results-oriented, be proactive! Reward your people for taking the initiative. You’ll have a huge competitive advantage over established companies. Many cliets will pay, and even take a bit of a risk, to get young, energetic minds on their side.

Indeed. In fact, you don’t have to be young, just have that “youthful” mind-set and a good grasp of the new tools and tactics of business and marketing. If you are here reading this you are probably involved with the “Social Media Scene” and, no matter what your age, you have something to teach older companies – by way of eating their lunch.

Action and Enthusiasm Can Be Contagious

action-260Cultivating and maintaining a pro-active and empowered team in your business have the potential to take your business over and above your competitors, especially those that have been around for a while and may have slipped into some bad habits. A personal example: When I used to work for a Marriott hotel we were encouraged to take care of our guests in every way. One of our guiding principles was (I am paraphrasing here), “If you encounter a guest with a problem you own that problem until the guest is satisfied.”

In theory, this meant that the employee who discovered/encountered the problem was in charge of solving it to the guest’s satisfaction. In practice this meant that our staff went out of their way to make sure that guests didn’t have problems, and if they did every employee knew how far they could go to fix it, and when they would need to reach out for help. In any case, I saw many front-line employees handling guest issues that may not have been entirely within their job description, either by themselves or with the help of the staff members who were responsible for that area of service. I believe that this policy was largely responsble for the high level of morale and pride that the staff had in their jobs and workplace – and the Triple A 4-diamond rating the hotel received.

What are you doing to cultivate a culture of action and enthusiasm in your business? Please share in the comments.
(You can read the review and enter a contest to win an autographed copy of the book at this link Book Review: Young Guns by Robert Tuchman.)

Filed Under: Attendees, Blogging Tips Tagged With: 7 priorities, bc, business focus, entrepreneur

Are You a Freelancer or a Solo Entrepreneur? Use Guy Kawasaki’s Mantra as He Meant

November 20, 2006 by Liz Leave a Comment

Guy Didn’t Mean Don’t Have a Vision or a Plan

Strategic Plans logo

With the start of the Perfect Virtual Manager, I’ve been talking a lot to bloggers. Even more interesting is that I’ve been not talking to a lot of them. I’ve noticed something about people who work outside of a traditional setting. We fall into two categories: freelancers and entrepreneurs. Some think they are one, and they’re really the other. Which one are you? Do you know that for sure?

Guy Kawasaki wrote a wonderful post in January called, Mantras Versus Missions. Thank you, Roger von Oech, for reminding me of it. You see, I think some folks do as Guy suggests — make a mantra — and unfortunately, they stop there. That’s not what Guy said to do. He was talking about replacing a mission statement with something more focused. His mantra was meant as a guiding force, not as a replacement for a business plan.

A person with fabulous skills and only a mantra is a freelancer not a solo entrepreneur.

The two think and work differently.

Do you know how to tell a freelancer from a solo entrepreneur?

Turn the page and I’ll show how.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business Life, Strategy/Analysis, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, business-plan, entrepreneur, freelancer, Guy-Kawasaki, mantra, mission, Perfect Virtual Manager, Roger-von-Oech

Introducing Clear Your Mind

January 25, 2006 by Liz Leave a Comment

SOB Directory Entry:
Clear Your Mind by Javier Cabrera

Type: Marketing, Management, Productivity

Clear Your Mind Logo

ClearYourMind is a collection of thoughts and articles about management, Productivity and Marketing for entrepreneurs. CYM is aimed to everyone who want to increase productivity, work smarter and enjoy the challenges of entrepreneurship.

Notes by Liz: If you’re feeling tired or worn out, Javier is the medicine that you need. This man has the optimism and energy of at least 3 men, if not 333. A visit to Javier’s blog is like a visit to his new office. You feel like he has just put down the sandwich he was eating to talk with you personally. His stories and ideas are about what is going on with this business at that very moment. There is much to be learned in following this enthusiastic entrepreneur as he problem solves and finds new ways to meet the challenges of business.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Has your SOB Blog Been Introduced to US?
Blog Promotion: May I Introduce You?

Filed Under: Blog Basics, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, blog_promotion, entrepreneur, Javier_Cabrera, management, Marketing /Sales / Social Media, online_business, Productivity

Introducing Brianshih.com

January 24, 2006 by Liz Leave a Comment

SOB Directory Entry:
BrianShih.com by Brian Shih

Type: Technology and Usability

brianshih logo

Brian Shih is a junior studying Electrical and Computer Engineering at Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering. This blog is focused on usability, new technology, and making the world better for humans, not robots.

Notes from Liz: You might recall that Brian was the first of our guest writers. His article on using sidebars prompted a lively discussion that caused us to visit sites and discuss design questions regarding how sidebars can serve both readers and writers. Brian also recently introduced us to “Cropper,” the shareware program that cuts time in making screen shots down to seconds. I’ve been using it constantly since the moment he turned me on to it. Take a minute and check out Brian’s blog.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Has your SOB Blog Been Introduced to US?
Blog Promotion: May I Introduce You?

Filed Under: Community, SOB Business, Successful Blog, Tech/Stats Tagged With: bc, blog_promotion, blog_usasability, Brian_Shih, entrepreneur, new_software, technology

Introducing The Synchronicity of Indeterminacy

January 17, 2006 by Liz 4 Comments

SOB Directory Entry:
The Synchronicity of Indeterminacy by Indie

Type: Flash Fiction

indeterminacy logo

Professional writer, Indie, combines found photos with one-minute short stories inspired by the photos. The idea is based on John Cage’s Indeterminacy recordings, coupling stories with sound. The stories show elements of avant garde, surrealism, dada, horror, humor, satire, fantasy, etc.

Notes from Liz: Indie’s blog has that fabulous combination of quality content and interaction that makes it a unique and unforgetttable experience. This is not just well-written fiction for your entertainment. This is downright stress relief offered to you in perfect measure.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Has your SOB Blog Been Introduced to US?
Blog Promotion: May I Introduce You?

Filed Under: Community, Content, SOB Business, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, blog_promotion, Community, content_and_interaction, entrepreneur, flash_fiction, great_read, Indie

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