The Art of Small Business Entrepreneurship


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Are you an entrepreneur? If you’re reading this post or found it in a Google search, perhaps the answer should be obvious. Whether the business you plan to start or get into is large, small, or somewhere in between, the skills you will use to evaluate the market, competition and risks of the venture are, in part, skills belonging to an entrepreneur. If you fit into this category, you’ve come to the right place. So sit back and enjoy the links below.

Entrepreneurship Basics

Differences between big and small business? Is there a real difference between building a big versus small business? Maybe not, according to Liz Strauss who had the opportunity to visit with billionaire Clay Mathile and hear the story of his life as an entrepreneur. Check out some of Liz’s takeaways and ask yourself, is this any different than the way you would build your business? Successful and Outstanding Bloggers

How to get others to take ownership. It’s tough to get others who don’t own your business to behave as if they do. Let’s face it. Do you want your day-to-day business managed by people who view your company as just place to put in their time for 40 hours a week? Or do you want them to truly feel as if they have a vested interest in the place? Any entrepreneur can tell you about the benefits of managers who take ownership. Now, here’s how to accomplish it. Inc.com

Humble Beginnings

Why small entrepreneurs should hire their kids. Summer’s here and if you’ve got kids who are out of school and without a summer job and you also happen to own a business, here are some thoughts about bringing your progeny into the family enterprise. Some simple steps will allow both you and your children to get the most out of the experience and who knows! You may be launching them on the path of entrepreneurship too. WSJ

Starting with nothing. Becoming an entrepreneur doesn’t need to involve raising outside investment…at least in the beginning. Starting a business with no outside and limited internal funding is a time honored tradition among entrepreneurs creating businesses large and small. It’s called bootstrapping and here are some suggestions that can make it work for you. Open Forum

Basic Skills

What is your product or service for? You may not have thought about really asking or answering this question before but it is the most important question for an entrepreneur to answer about a product or service. Answering it also can help you answer other questions like, who are your target customers and how can you let them know you exist? Answering these questions incorrectly can result in problems but not as many as never asking them at all. Seth Godin’s Blog

The need for financial literacy. No matter how large or small your business, a firm understanding of financials is imperative for every entrepreneur. Sure your passion is in the core functions of your business, but there is no excuse for failing to understand the financial side of things. To this end, venture capital investor Brad Feld has decided to write a series of posts that will help all entrepreneurs gain a better understanding of the economic realities behind their businesses. Feld Thoughts

Self-development

What kind of business are you really in? Rex Hammock may have started in the publishing business but soon discovered that his business was truly about helping his customers to better meet their goals. Rex talks about “loyalty” as a “journey” with customers and clients and about understanding how helping your customers achieve their goals is your real business and the one that will help you achieve the greatest success. Chris Brogan

Principles of leadership. As an entrepreneur, you are a leader, whether you run a company with 100 employees or with just one. As an entrepreneur you have created a new product or service, a new brand, something new that has never been seen before. So what principles should you adopt to help you cope with the many pressures that also come along with entrepreneurship? Here are some basics from CEO Tony Schwartz. Fast Company

Customer Service & Startup

What are your customers really worth? Understanding the value your customers represent is the key to success for any entrepreneur. But the fact is that there are many ways customers are valuable to your business going beyond simply purchasing your products and services. If you want to learn more about how your customers and clients can shape your business, perhaps in ways you never expected, read on. Open Forum

To be or not to be. In a highly competitive economy with few resources at hand such as readily available financing or credit, one small business consultant asks the question, is this really the right time to become an entrepreneur? The answer (not surprisingly) is that it depends. Do you have a great idea, see a great opportunity or have the ability to stick it our long enough? There are always good reasons not to become an entrepreneur and to become one as well. But in the end, the decision comes down to you. The Frugal Entrepreneur

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  1. Thanks for putting together these awesome quick reads on being an entrepreneur. I try to catch a lot of these, and it is time well spent.

  2. You could also take a virtual office to use as a mailbox which will cut costs yet will still give your new business a prestigious business address.