Marketing, product, clients – business buzz words we know well. You have a great product? Check. You’ve put into place a catchy marketing plan and feel ready for clients to line up? Great!
Full steam ahead? Not yet!
Beginning a business is time consuming – all consuming – but you can find a balance if you plan ahead and work smart. It is the natural instinct of an entrepreneur to move at the speed of light; to conquer anything in our way (I love that about us!), but I encourage you to take a step back. Working smart is about maximizing your chances for success and minimizing obstacles along the way. To work smart you must learn from the best.
HerExchange is not only my first business, but I have no prior experience in journalism or editorials. Daunting? It could be; but with passion and drive in place, it was time to be smart and expand my circle to include the best and most successful. To do so, I compiled a list of business owners and magazine editors that I admired. With a little internet research, contact information can easily be found for almost anyone. From there, I simply reached out; it is truly as easy as that. Not every person will respond, don’t be offended – it’s not personal. More importantly, you will be surprised with the tremendous amount of those whom do respond.
A best kept business secret is this – successful people love to talk about their success – and will be happy to find 30 minutes over the phone to tell you about how they made it to the top, and how you can too. Pay close attention to what they tell you – they are giving you the keys to the kingdom by allowing you to learn their tips for success and pitfalls to avoid. You must ultimately put your own flair on your business, but doing so with greater knowledge will save you time and plenty of money. Life is full of surprises and turmoil – business doesn’t have to be.
Regardless of how long you’ve been in business, or the level of success you’ve achieved, you can benefit by upping the company you keep and adding great mentors to your team roster. It is never too early or too late to work smart.
To all my fabulous and successful entrepreneurs – please don’t forget to BE a mentor as well. You are brilliant – now go tell someone about it!
