What Makes an Entrepreneur?


Small business ownership is not for everyone and in this small business news roundup, we see the evidence for an entrepreneurial personality that may set those with the passion to create businesses of their own apart. What do you think drives entrepreneurs and small business people to choose their path?

Entrepreneurship

What makes an entrepreneur? What exactly are the traits that drive certain people to create something entirely new or build a business from the ground up rather than throw their efforts behind an established company? Are entrepreneurs leaders and employees just followers? Which type of businessperson are you? Inc.com

They say you never forget your first … could be a bike, a date, a kiss, or the impression you get when you visit a new Website or local business. Think about first experiences and how they shape our lasting impressions, then ask yourself some important questions about whether you’re giving your audience or customers the best first experience possible. Chris Brogan ties it together in this insightful post about the impact of first impressions in business. Chris Brogan

Marketing

World Wide Web or “word of mouth”? They’re not too different, since advertising on the internet and what people are saying about your business online can almost be the same thing or at least have the same effect: to attract new customers or to warn them away. But where can you get the most impact for your advertising dollar and how do you plan to budget in the coming year? Entrepreneur

And the winner is….? Well, no one and everyone! With the shift in advertising from push to permission and the move away from traditional media and taste-makers to the diverse and niche, there’s no one source to tell us what the best, safest, or most winning choice actually is. Seth Godin uses the parallel of choosing the hot toy for the holidays to show how we need to take responsibility for more important choices in business. Seth Godin’s Blog

Customer Relations

Don’t leave them wanting more…give them more! Your business has already made a great impression, but now your devoted customers are looking for more of a good thing, and that thing is your business. Learn how to expand upon your most successful products or services, cement your good reputation, and keep the captive audience you worked so hard to get. Fast Company

Social media marketing: where’s the ROI? Well, it depends on your point of view whether these efforts translate into increased sales or are simply the new way business is done. There are no holds barred in this humorous but apt post about the unreality of ROI for social media marketing and how maybe businesses are just seeking to justify their social media spending after the fact. You decide! Copyblogger

Operations

Some assembly required. Great teams don’t come ready-made, they take time and careful consideration to assemble, with the most successful teams comprised of people that are, perhaps, better than you in the areas most needed for your endeavor. But how do you draw the remarkable talent needed to make your startup a success? The answer is your passion, and more, so read on! Youngentrepreneur

More social = more effective. That definitely seems to be the trend, but did you ever think of applying that maxim to your B2B direct mail campaign? Here are a few pointers on how to make these communications more interactive and engaging. Social Media B2B

Other Trends

“We can do it!” may have been the motto for Rosie the Riveter back in the day, but now it’s the battle cry for women entrepreneurs in the developing world. With businesses born of necessity, female pragmatists make up a higher percentage of entrepreneurs in these countries and lead the spike in global entrepreneurship including that of developed nations. See how women can rock the world of small business! Huffington Post

Amazon: Small business friend or foe? The online retail giantess recently released its new price-checking app, just in time to deliver what to many seems like a sucker punch to small businesses. But many complain that the means by which Amazon incentivized its app — tantamount to bribing customers, some say — is the problem more than the app itself. Does Amazon really have it in for small business? Or, is its success a win for all the small businesses who sell through and partner with the powerful lady of retail? Small Business Trends

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  1. Great job linking to Chris’s post about “First.”

    It’s (business) always been about first impressions.

    Some things just stay the same, don’t they?

    The Franchise King®