Is Being An Entrepreneur Like Learning To Fly While You're In The Air ?

I’ve heard it said that being an entrepreneur is like flying an aeroplane whilst learning how to do it and whilst still building it. There’s no manual in other words, so you fly by the seat of your pants making it up as you go. It’s a good analogy although unless you are literally doing that, no-one’s going to die from your mistakes !

The truth is though from man’s earliest days to now, everything we have is a result of a small percentage of the population having the balls to fly by the seat of their pants. That’s one definition of being an entrepreneur. As time goes by however we have the opportunity to study what others have done. We can learn from their mistakes and successes.

In our present era we now have a massive amount of that collected experience to refer to being an entrepreneur. We don’t always have to be the inventor. We can calculate our risks and we can find mentors – people who have trodden the path we’re about to start out on.

Being An Entrepreneur In The Modern World

There are loads of stats out there that show a huge increase in entrepreneurialism. People of all ages and backgrounds are taking their first steps into business and self-reliance. That’s been made possible by technology, in particular the internet – all of which was created by …… you guessed it – entrepreneurs.

We might tend to think of these pioneers as dreamers, scientists, engineers and inventors but in reality all of these things are based on someone being an entrepreneur. Read any of their stories and you’ll realise that along the way they were also on a voyage of self- discovery.

That’s why there’s so much personal and self-development intertwined in so much of the self-help information available about being an entrepreneur. It’s part of the process. After all if you’re moving into self-employment from employment things are going to be very different. That’s why so many people basically give up too soon.

It doesn’t take much effort to just keep turning up for a job after all and getting that guaranteed pay check at the end of every month – even if that pay packet hasn’t changed much for years. Entrepreneurs can’t afford to just turn up and usually there’s no one but themselves breathing down their necks to get things done.

Another piece of wisdom suggests that successful entrepreneurs tend to be the ones who are prepared to stay in a state of no result longest. That’s outside most people’s comfort zone but that’s where the magic happens !

Can You Buy a Manual About Being An Entrepreneur? 

With an online business the financial risks of being an entrepreneur are far less than with a traditional one. That’s why so many are doing it these days. The failure rate though is high if you decide to go it alone. So again it’s wise to benefit from the experience and mentorship of those who have gone before.

It’s still a young industry but the pioneers of digital marketing have been around for a good number of years now. Luckily some of them are prepared to share their knowledge and experience.

Not many of them however dole out that experience with the generosity of Six Figure Mentors (SFM) and Digital Experts Academy (DEA). Their set up is like a real world university for online entrepreneurs.

What they’ve done is taken apart two massively successful online marketing careers – those of co-founders Stuart Ross and Jay Kubassek. They’ve looked at the mistakes they made along the way and the systems and strategies they used to overcome them.

They then reverse engineered all that and built it back into a proven system that combines nuts and bolts business systems, self-development and cutting edge education. The result is a community based platform that anyone can enter as fledgling or experienced entrepreneurs keen to take advantage of the technological world we now live in.

Anyone who is focussed on being an entrepreneur can join on whatever basis they like. They can simply be students and use the training and systems to their own ends, building online businesses in any field they like. For those looking for a business in a box, there are options to partner with SFM and DEA and earn high commissions as they learn.

Being An Entrepreneur Online 

The beauty of this is that it can all be done at a pace to suit an individual’s circumstances. There’s no need to take a massive leap of faith, give up the day job and jump in all guns blazing. Being an entrepreneur online is fairly risk free.

Those who aspire to building 6, 7 or even 8 figure online empires are catered for with a multi-level partnership programme. Those who just want to create some extra revenue or to boost an existing business through learning digital marketing are also catered for.

Whatever the ambition the benefits of leveraging this platform are huge. Yes there are costs but I can’t think of any offline business that wouldn’t cost far more to start or maintain.

SFM and DEA provide a free 7-day video workshop for anyone who wants to look at what they do. It includes a lot of downloadable in itself quite valuable, with no strings attached. So if you are ready to fly but don’t fancy building the plane yourself grab those videos by clicking on the link below.

http://davemenzies.com/starting-a-business/being-an-entrepreneur/

James Caan : 'Want To Know A Great Way To Survive As A Start-Up ?'

The former Dragons' Den investor on why start-ups with an experienced mentor on board stand a much better chance of making it ... 

The UK has really caught start-up fever now, and it is something which genuinely delights me. There is undoubtedly a great entrepreneurial appetite in this country and the opportunity to take charge of your destiny and become your own boss is a fantastic one. 

Over the last two years, the number of start-ups launching per year in the UK has gone up to over 500,000, a rise of 19%.

But while this is great news for our burgeoning economy, it also carries a risk. If there’s one thing we should be aware of, it is making sure we have the infrastructure and support system to sustain this wave of enterprise.

According to research, 50% of start-ups fail within the first three years. And according to the Federation of Small Businesses, small businesses currently account for 47% of UK employment – that’s around 11 million jobs. It is therefore crucial we minimise the risk of these start-ups ceasing to trade as much as we can.

In an article written last year for the Guardian, Amanda Jobbins, chief marketing officer at Sage Group, said that start-ups need mentoring and support at least as much as they need financing:  “There is evidence that [mentorship] can and does work. 70% of small businesses that receive mentorship survive for five years or more,” she wrote.

A lack of support and advice is one of the fundamental reasons for business failures. There is no doubt people starting their own business are usually good at their jobs, but they don’t always realise they have to be good at a variety of other things as well – HR, financial planning, legal, admin, marketing, branding – the list goes on. I always urge people to hire experts in those areas but as the founder of a start-up you still need to have a good breadth of knowledge.

It is no wonder then that people can become overwhelmed by the task – I am most active in the recruitment sector and studies show that only 15% of companies in this sector ever get revenues of over £1m and a headcount of over 10. During the recession years, where the economy was at its worst, I personally backed six entrepreneurs to start their own recruitment businesses, and they all reached those targets within 12 months. I believe a key reason for this was the culture of mentoring that we all insisted upon.

It is critical to get experts on board as soon as you can. You should look for people who have already done what you are setting out to achieve, and know your industry. You may have seen recently that I launched the Recruitment Entrepreneur Initiative, where I offer mentoring as well as capital to people that want to start their own recruitment business.

Having been in the industry for over 30 years, I have seen the ups and downs you can face, and like a lot of entrepreneurs I feel it is my duty to pass this knowledge on.

For example, in the early 90s my business went through the recession for the first time. Fortunately we got through it, and the main positive to come out of it was that I am now able to share this experience with all the CEOs and businesses I invest in.

And every applicant I have met through the initiative has told me the same thing – they are looking for a support network as well as capital.

Whichever sector you are operating in, there will always be plenty of specialist investors for you to target. Whether you are in the business of providing a product or a service, whether you are launching in the UK or expanding overseas, I passionately encourage you to find yourself an expert. Get this right – and you are giving yourself a head start.

http://startups.co.uk/james-caan-want-to-know-a-great-way-to-survive-as-a-start-up/