Dragons' Den: Peter Jones Golden Rules for Business Success

Entrepreneurial Holiday Guilt For Creative Professionals ...

Guilt, guilt, guilt. Guilt is a terrible feeling and is often self-inflicted by creative entrepreneurs, especially during the holidays. 

Most people who work for themselves say they chose to do so because they wanted to “control their time.” People who value time over money, recognize that time is a precious commodity that cannot be created, bought, or borrowed. You have to use it wisely or else it is gone.

Having the luxury to control how, with whom, and where you spend your time is one of the bonuses of working for yourself. So, why is it that an overwhelming number of entrepreneurs also say they feel guilty when they are not working on their businesses or with a client between the hours of 9 to 5 ? 

To be truly happy and successful as an entrepreneur, you must break the corporate-created walls of time and learn how to set your day according to your needs and the needs of your clients. There is no law chaining you to your desk eight hours a day between 9am and 5pm. 

Here’s my advice: stop feeling guilty about when you are working and when you are not, and ditch the idea of playing by rules set up by other organizations. Make sure you benefit from the freedom of entrepreneurship and maximize your time by performing regular activities such as food shopping at off times like 10am on a Tuesday or having your teeth cleaned at 2pm on a Monday ! You will spend less time waiting in line, you will be less stressed, and actually have more time to devote to your clients and other activities, then if you did those things at the weekend or during a busier time.

And be sure to take a day or two off during the holidays to go gift shopping, ice-skating, or to decorate your home! Give yourself permission to enjoy your life and do something for yourself, even if it is on a week day between nine and five. You deserve it.

http://plrplr.com/5342/entrepreneurial-holiday-guilt-for-creative-professionals/

The Seven Secrets of the Success of Steve Jobs

Great, short video that sums up the seven "secrets" behind the success of Steve Jobs ... 

The Ten Myths of Entrepreneurship ...

Watch this great 10-minute video ... 

Dragons Den : Theo Paphitis's Golden Rules for Business Success

Ten Golden Rules Of Home Business

Thinking of setting up a home-based business ? Intended to help you succeed, here are 10 tips from one of the founders of StartUp Britain and home-based business expert, Emma Jones …

Base the business on something you enjoy – when your hobby/passion/skill becomes your full-time job, it never really feels like work.

Have a plan – prepare a basic business plan to set out your vision, describe your market and explain how you propose to reach out and sell to that market. Include sound financials and review the plan every six months or so.

Find dedicated space – create space in your house that is your workspace. When in that space, family and friends should know you’re in business mode, plus, you can walk away at the end of the working day. Invest in a good desk and chair, because you’ll be spending quite a bit of time at and in them.

Create a professional front door – when customers come calling, be sure they’re met with a professional welcome. This applies from the way you answer calls, to your website, company stationery and even the places in which you choose to meet clients.

Make the most of social media – the home-business community has warmly embraced tools such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. They are free to use and act as business development channel and a virtual water cooler for the moments when you miss the banter of an out-of-home office.

Become an expert – set yourself up as an expert in your field by blogging/tweeting about the subject, writing a report, publishing a book or hosting an event. Being an expert gives credibility and with that, comes customers.

Never stop learning – part of becoming an expert is continually picking up intelligence from those around you. Keep an eye on what others in your industry are doing, read about successful entrepreneurs and tune in to trendspotters so you can prepare for new market opportunities.

Get out of the house – attend networking events, work from the local café, sign up to a personal development course. It’s good to get out of the home office, but be sure you can still be contacted and respond via your mobile/laptop/webmail, etc. This is your “road warrior kit”

Do what you do best and outsource the rest – to grow the business, focus on the core product of the company and subcontract non-core tasks (eg admin, accounting, PR, fulfillment, etc) to others.

Follow the golden triangle – to keep the business in balance, spend roughly a third of your time on each of three key things: customer care, business development and admin. That way, you’ll have a smooth-running business with happy customers and new income streams on the way.

http://www.startupdonut.co.uk/startup/business-premises/10-golden-rules-of-home-business

Richard Branson's Three Top Tips For Entrepreneurial Success

Billionaire, mogul, financier Richard Branson has built an empire on great ideas and the ability to follow through on a dream. 

Take a few tips from Sir Richard and reach new heights in your own entrepreneurial pursuits.

Provide Untapped Value to the Customer

"The most critical thing with any new venture is we must deliver a tremendous value to the consumer so that it enhances all the ventures we've done before it," says Branson. Today, the Virgin brand encompasses everything from soft drinks to airlines. Branson's approach has been to provide something unique in each venture; something the competition lacks. Find the value, find the customers.

Exploit a Passion

"I start businesses when I have a passion for something. That's also why I went into the airline business, even though everybody I talked to told me that there was no money to be made there. I felt that I could make a difference. That's the best reason to go into business because you feel strongly that you can change things," says Branson. It's the entrepreneurial passion and attitude that makes the difference in achieving lasting success.

Trust Your Instincts

"A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts." Case in point, the "rebel-billionaire" relied on gut instincts to take advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves. Branson wasn't born wealthy, and began his empire by selling yet-to-be touched (i.e. "Virgin") records out of the trunk of his car when it was unheard of to do so. Slowly but surely, he expanded his business until it became the multi-billion dollar empire we know today. Follow his lead and mix a great idea with real passion.

http://www.success.com/article/richard-bransons-3-keys#sthash.sKbGMTm9.dpuf