Are You Doing Enough To Show Your Team That You Mean Business?

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As an aspirational business owner, realizing that you need the support of a winning team behind you is the most crucial breakthrough of all. If you want them to respond by giving you the best performance possible, it’s imperative that you give them a reason to do so.

Need some ideas on how to make that happen? These eight are just great.

#1. Recruit Well

If you’re prepared to hire inadequate employees, you are going to see inadequate work. Not only will those direct candidates fail to perform as you’d like, but you’ll also find that their colleagues perform slightly worse too.

Finding the best candidates requires an interest in their personalities as well as their skills. While it can take a little extra effort to handle those applications and interview processes, it’ll save time and money in the long run. After all, poor decisions will need to be rectified.

Master this task, and the positive influence will filter down throughout the entire venture. If you want to establish the best platform for success, this is your best option by far.

#2. Welcome Them In Style

Hiring the right people is one thing, but you need them to be inspired from day one too. If they feel unappreciated or as though they don’t belong, it will show. Therefore, those early interactions following their arrival is key.

Sending finalized paperwork and a welcome guide before their first day is a good start. The onboarding process should also include a great workspace and having stationery or uniform ready. Aside from making them feel welcome, this shows great organization.  

A brief introduction to the team and a little fuss over the new employee can work wonders for team morale too.

#3. Let Them Use Their Initiative

When hiring skilled people, you should want to embrace their talents to the max. While providing some guidance is important, stifling their creativity and capabilities would be very naïve. Letting them show their initiative without compromising the brand ethos will work wonders.

As a business owner, it’s OK not to know everything. That is the whole point of building a strong team in the first place. Being able to empower employees will show that there isn’t an ego. In turn, this indicates that you have the best interests of your business at heart.  

This can have a huge impact on the general atmosphere within the team. In most cases, this should lead to increased productivity and ingenuity.

#4. Invest In Communication 

Great communication should sit at the heart of all business ventures. Sadly, if this issue is lacking, it can give employees a bad impression. Moreover, you’ll find that silly mistakes creep into the operation. Even when they aren’t costly, they will be very frustrating as they are preventable.

Modern technology is crucial for the daily communication links. Ensuring that employees have smartphones and communication Apps is key. Meanwhile, allowing them to work from home when necessary shows a progressive nature. Likewise, short and on-topic meetings are advised.

Worse still, it’s likely to result in a bad experience for the customers too. As such, it’s imperative that you avoid mistakes in this area of the operation.

 

#5. Set Performance Based Rewards

Employees won’t perform to their absolute best unless they have an incentive to go the extra mile. While you may think that the promise of taking the business to another level is enough, it isn’t. In truth, you need to give them a personal incentive. Rewarding their successes is the ideal answer.

Paying employees well will keep them in a better frame of mind. However, bonuses for breaking targets will often spark a positive reaction. This can be related to sales or virtually any other task. Small gestures like letting them finish a little early on a Friday after a positive week can help too.

If nothing else, it shows that you have ambitions for the business to perform to the very highest level. If this doesn’t encourage employees to take note, perhaps nothing will.

#6. Show Discipline

For the most part, positivity should be the aim of the day. When the situation requires it, however, you must not be scared to become a disciplinary. Otherwise, you may encourage employees to start taking advantage of your good nature. This will harm productivity as well as the company’s image.

Lateness due to unforeseen circumstances such as traffic accidents shouldn’t be punished. But employees that turn up late regularly should be docked wages. On a more serious note, a saliva drug test may confirm suspicions. If it has happened on your premises, this is grounds for sacking.

You may feel obliged to help them get the outside support they need. Nonetheless, you must not bow down or become soft.

#7. Lead By Example

Some employees will work to their full potential regardless of outside factors. But the vast majority need to see that they aren’t the only one putting a shift in. Seeing their boss lead the way in style can make a big impact on their motivation levels. Besides, they may learn a lot from your actions.

Focusing on your job is crucial. This is why you may want to hire an assistant to take care of admin and other time-consuming tasks. When you are allowed to actively drive the business forward, your employees will notice how hard you work. In most cases, they will follow suit.   

If nothing else, they’ll pull their socks up through fear of not matching your expectations. As long as you utilize this energy in the right way, it can work wonders.

#8. Stay Ahead Of The Game

Showing employees that the venture is built for success in the immediate future is great. Still, for the very best results, you need a long-term game plan. Those sentiments ring true for the sake of the business as well as the employee reaction. So you must not ignore it for a second.

To stay ahead of the crowd, you must know what your competitors are doing. This type of market research may save you from poor decisions while also opening your eyes to new ideas. Just make sure that your team are also blessed with the latest and greatest equipment and facilities.

Ultimately, your employees are the greatest asset at your disposal. By making them feel valued and inspired to work harder, firing a signal of intent should become easier than ever.

A Word For Business Leaders: Why It’s Okay To Say ‘I Don’t Know’

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As a business leader, the last three words you would expect to say to anybody are ‘I don’t know.’ The risk of appearing vulnerable is a common fear, as you don’t want the people you work with, be they staff, customers, or clients, to know that you aren’t always in full control. After all, as the person in charge, you need to inspire confidence in others. However, despite your better instincts, it is okay to show vulnerability. It is okay to show weakness. It is okay to sometimes say ‘I don’t know.’ Here are the reasons why:

You don’t know everything

You don’t – it’s as simple as that. You aren’t a walking encyclopedia, with knowledge about every facet of your company. You probably don’t have qualifications in every skill set that makes your company run smoothly. You will never have all the answers to everything, and nobody expects you too. Saying ‘I don’t know’ is the logical solution. That doesn’t mean you can’t commit to a little research. It doesn’t mean you can’t understand certain facets of your business more. But you will only overwhelm yourself if you try and learn everything, and the quality of the work you produce will suffer as a result.

You have your own job to do

You are in a leadership position, with your own duties and responsibilities for your working day. To have your finger in every other aspect of your business will only undermine the people you have working for you, and you will have less time to get on with the tasks your position dictates. So, do what you do well and don’t sweat the details in other areas. You don’t need to know what a Piezo buzzer is, for example, if you don’t have skills in manufacturing, and you don’t need to know everything about SEO if you already have a marketing team. Get on with your own job, fulfilling the job description that befits your role, such as inspiring others to do their job well, instead of involving yourself in places where your time will be wasted.

Other people are better than you

Following on from the above, you need to remember that you are employing people for a purpose. They are there to make your life easier, to achieve your company’s vision; and to cover the gaps in your own skill base. Your employees have a job to do, with training and qualifications that may be well out of your remit. And that’s okay. You don’t need to be better than them as a leader. You have nothing to prove to them, other than your leadership credentials. You will only come unstuck if you try to be a ‘master of everything,’ and your employees will see right through your ill-fated attempts at ‘expertise.’ Let them get on with their jobs, admire the skills they possess, and rather than trying to get hands-on in different aspects of your company, do what you’re there for, and give your staff the tools to do their job better.

Finally

Saying ‘I don’t know’ requires you to show your human side. By being vulnerable and admitting to not knowing all the answers will inspire confidence – it’s better to be honest than to lie or to give an ill-informed answer, right? Educate yourself on the areas that matter, especially if you don’t know the things you really should within your business, but rely on the strengths of others in those areas where you don’t need to have full control. You will gain more respect if you do.

Should You Know More Than Your Employees?

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As human beings, we like to multitask and be able to get multiple things whether connect or not done simultaneously. In the heat of passion, business becomes somewhat of a baby of ours. We feel it personally when it is criticized or even changed in the slightest. Being a leader and owner of your own business means this will happen to you on a daily occurrence, relentlessly. But you should never allow your emotions and mollycoddling instincts to get in the way of branching out, spreading your wings and trying new things. Sometimes you can be at loggerheads with your own employees. Every leader has been there when those who are working for them come up with suggestions to alter a project, product, marketing ploy and or service. The question comes up, should you know more than your employees or should you take them for their word and trust them?

Spotting challenges ahead

One of the most frustrating things in the professional world is a boss that is not wary of what you as an employee are. The simple case of not knowing what is going on at ground level in your own business and therefore the industry as a whole is without a doubt a fatal flaw. Running a small business has its own unique challenges, but sometimes where there are similar patterns that brings up the same symptoms over and over, you may class as a recurring or popular issue. Reading journals and magazines that report on your own industry is something you must make as part of your weekly habit. Reading publications that offer insight into the broader spectrum of business such as Forbes, Business Insider, Spectator Money, Bloomberg, Entrepreneur and Telegraph Business section keeps you up to date and informed.

Leading by example

A good leader would know exactly what he or she is asking for from their followers. At times you may wonder and even doubt yourself when giving orders to your employees; especially in fields that you know little about. It’s only natural as it’s not your forte, but taking steps to ensure you’re by no means a novice could take you to new levels of understanding. Once you better understand something, you can then probe, experiment and expand on your ideas with greater effect. Take for example a course from an online school marketing, where you can take an MSc in marketing in which you’ll learn brand development. You’ll learn how marketing and consumption work at the individual and societal levels. The marketing field is full of big characters as well as artistic egos. Showing you know just as if not more in connecting with the audience and conjuring an accurate image of your brand would show you’re leading by example.

Should you know more than your employees? It’s always going to be yes and no. You should try to lead by example by first making yourself more knowledgeable than those you lead. By the same token, you can’t be a jack of all trades and master of none. You must, however, guide your employees to be bold and creative while at the same time keeping an eye on the potential hazards of what may be ahead.

5 Common Fears Successful Entrepreneurs Need To Overcome

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With anything in life, you need to overcome your fears if you want to be successful. Letting your fears get the better of you will make it close to impossible to chase your dreams.

Here are examples of fears that an entrepreneur will often face when building a business.

1. Criticism or rejection

People are often afraid of pursuing their dreams or a business venture out of fear of being criticizedthat their ideas will be rejected even by their family or friends. Some fear that others will see them as a weird or crazy person.

You might have been told that what you are planning would be too risky and would never work. This fear can can be so debilitating that it can even prevent people from trying something new or even taking the next step.

Everything starts with you. You need to start believing in your talents first before you can make others believe in you and your business. Instead of worrying about the negative things that people might think of saying, think instead about what they would say if you succeeded in your pursuit.

If people think you are crazy, then accept it. Keep in mind that it is the people with “crazy” ideas who end up changing the world.

2. Debt or bankruptcy

Some people stay in their jobs and don’t go into business out of fear that their decisions would land them in the poorhouse. There is a basis for this fear. Starting a business requires capital and finding funding can be difficult.

If you find it hard to build capital or convince people to invest in the venture, you can try saving up for some of the capital needed to start your business. The amount may not be enough to pay for everything, but it should be enough to get you started or try out some of your ideas.

3. Offending others

Some people are indecisive out of fear that others will see them as being too self-confident or arrogant. This is especially true when it comes to marketing or promoting the brand.

However, being audacious is often important if you want to become a successful entrepreneur. You have to be confident enough in expressing your ideas, in promoting your brand and what you have to offer. Advertising is a necessity in building a successful business. If you don’t do it, no one will know about your brand or what you can do for people.

4. Looking stupid

We sometimes don’t do things out of fear of looking foolish in front of other people. Have faith in your abilities and the decisions that you make. What you decide to do allows you to test your skills and become better, whether it is in terms of speaking in front of a crowd, making movies, leading a team, or something else.

Regardless of whether you made the right or wrong decision, there is something you can learn from the experience. The worst thing you can do is to not do anything at all. It may make you feel safe, but it also prevents you from growing and developing your skills.

5. Success

You may be surprised to find that there are entrepreneurs who fear success. Success is something we all yearn for when we build a business. So why would people fear becoming successful?

We have this notion that building a business is extremely difficult. On the flip side, what if it’s easier than you’ve been led to believe? Imagine opening the doors of your bakeshop for the first time and seeing a long line of people waiting to get inside.

Some entrepreneurs fear that they will be unable to handle the demands of running and maintaining a booming business. There are other businesspeople who feel that their success will alienate them from their friends and colleagues.

Operating a thriving business is what most entrepreneurs aim for. At some point, you may feel alone, but it comes with the territory of becoming the best in your field. Always strive to improve yourself and your business. Your business’ success will not just affect you but can also affect how your industry grows and develops.

Everyone has fears. Entrepreneurs are no different. Knowing how to face your fears and overcome them can help you create a business that is successful.

AUTHOR BIO

Serial Entrepreneur and Business Strategist Henri Hazougi is the managing Director/Partner of Business Setup Consultants DMCC. The company offers a broad range of expertise in corporate services assisting companies and entrepreneurs in setting up and expanding their business in the UAE.

 

Become The Most Confident In Your Business Environment

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Business environments usually run on their own terms. The social dynamics in the office or place of work and the responsibilities which must be carried out all contribute to a culture which can either make or break the best business hopefuls. However, if you’re involved in any culture at all, getting to the top may not be as difficult or as easy as you’d originally predict. Every person must chart a path to their successful career themselves. However, applying many tips and tricks can help imbue your business arsenal with the tools it deserves. Doing so will also increase your confidence, and that will provide the fuel for all of your other business insights when trying to apply them in the real world.

Sharpening and cultivating your confidence is no superfluous matter in the business environment. Doing so can give you an incredible grounding to follow your dreams, make those business connections you truly need, but most importantly helping you enjoy your career in relative peace. Being confident helps you manage stress better. It also helps you create more of a lasting impact with the operational objectives you may have set for yourself in the first place.

Become An Effortless Communicator

Communication is key when it comes to forthrightly expressing your ideas and making them seem attractive or interesting. Make sure that you’re effective in your speech, able to convey points across using the least amount of superfluous phrasing. If you’re speaking a language unfamiliar to you, check out the best language coaching website and continue to learn the parameters of its ruleset the best you can. Also, be sure to go out of your way to expose yourself to social situations which you may feel uncomfortable in. This will all inform your ability to take those risks and present your ideas in places which may not be so welcoming to new insight.

Competency

There is no way around hard work. This is the central tenet of living life well. Constantly refine and expand your knowledge about the area you’re involved in from a variety of sources – documentaries, books, podcasts and academic journals. Also be sure to read around your subject and attempt to provide yourself with this knowledge in an expanded capacity. You never know when a little tidbit of knowledge, or the study of a business case can provide you with that little extra piece of insight you truly need for the success you crave.

Take Risks

Calm seas never make skilled sailors. For this reason, taking risks and overcoming your biggest business fears can help you really identify what works on a much more significant level than someone averse to these kind of pursuits. You will fail, and potentially fail often in some of your goals, but what you’ll take from the experience is often of more value than what you put in. Over time, you will become a better, more sculpted and happier business leader capable of navigating the world of business better.

Can NFL Head Coaches Teach You Anything About Leadership? (Psst..Of Course They Can)

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The new NFL season has only just got underway. But we’ve already seen that the head coaches have a monumental role to play in leading their respective teams to success. As a business owner, your impact on the staff isn’t too dissimilar. So it’s no surprise to hear that you can learn a thing or two from those leaders at the top of their sport.

An NFL coach’s daily activities may be a complete contrast to what you’re used to. Then again, the methods and basic principles are linked. Use these nuggets of wisdom gained from the sport, and your business will soon be driving towards the end zone.

What are you waiting for? Let’s kick things off in style.

Tactics

Tactics are everything in American football. However, it’s the coach who is responsible for masterminding the victory. You are responsible for ensuring that your company conducts its business in a more effective manner than its competitors.

Playing to the strengths of the company and the employees is vital. If you are truly focused on building a winning team, you must get the recruitment process right. It’s not simply a case of hiring people with the best skills. You need to find the right additions for your business, which means screening personalities too.

In the NFL, teams have one set of players for offense and defense. The lesson to learn here is that different groups need contrasting instructions. As long as those methods are focused towards the overall success of the company, you won’t go far wrong.

Communication

Finding those winning formulas is one thing. But getting the team to carry out those instructions is another altogether. The only way you’ll ever achieve this goal, on the football field or in the office, is to establish a strong sense of communication.

Technology can be used to your advantage. Using visual aids can enhance a presentation while video conferencing can help manage other areas of the business. Either way, one thing we can learn from the NFL is the importance of being concise. Coaches have seconds to express their ideas. If you can learn to keep team meetings short and to the point, you’ll have a far greater chance of success.

Let’s face it; time is money. Every second counts, just as it does in sport, and you should not lose sight of this fact.

Protection

Like an NFL coach, you are relying on your team to perform. Therefore, it’s your job to do everything in your power to keep them in the right mindset to thrive. Ultimately, that means ensuring that the working environment is as positive as it can possibly be.

Prevention is the best form of protection. But you should still be prepared for those bad situations by investing in first aid supplies and other key items. It’s equally imperative to ensure that the data protection facilities are of the highest standard. In truth, this isn’t only key for your employees – it’s key for customers too.

An NFL coach is tasked with keeping his players fit and healthy. As an entrepreneur, your job is to keep the staff motivated and happy. Use team bonding sessions to further enhance those positive vibes, and you will build a more cohesive unit. And with the team firing on all cylinders, there’s no limit to what you’ll achieve.

The Most Common Reasons For Startups Falling at the First Hurdle

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The romantic in all of us would love to quit our day jobs and make a go of it on our own. The idea of being your own boss and finding success is what many of us dream of. Hell, it’s the very reason this blog was founded. And this is becoming a reality for more and more young entrepreneurs, but reality has a way of never quite panning out how you’d expect, doesn’t it?

As you can probably tell, I am a willing advocate for startups and small businesses. The pursuit of your dreams is perhaps the most beautiful thing in the world, and I like to do what I can to encourage and educate that. The unfortunate truth, however, is that many startups fall at the first hurdle, and they are usually their own undoing.

Here are some of the more common reasons that small businesses fail to get off the ground, and what you can do to avoid compounding the same mistakes.

Being Narrow Minded

Nobody has ever gotten anywhere in business without some degree of ego. It takes an immense overconfidence in your abilities just to take the plunge, let alone make it work. That same arrogance, however, can lead to poor business decisions. When you’re in the boss’ shoes, you might think that you know best, but that’s not always the case.

Stick to what you know. If you’ve gotten far in your venture, that’s probably an understanding of business models. Everything else? Don’t be afraid to seek advice elsewhere. The best owners accept their own limitations and supplement them with expert knowledge from other fields.

Lack of Foresight

Many business owners suffer from this same problem, and it’s especially common amongst startups. Why? Because you’re so fixated on the here and now, you can lose sight of the bigger picture. If you find that all your decisions are being made for the short-term, you’re doing it wrong. You should always have an eye on your future. Otherwise, you won’t have a future.

Fail to prepare and prepare to fail, as the old saying goes. Budget constraints often suffer most as a result of shortsightedness. Consider enlisting the help of a financial advisor to guide you through the short-term. They’re well adept at also considering the long-term. Or, if you have an interest in online cloud accountants, Accountancy Anywhere are a service that can offer you expert advice.

Startup Stock Photos

Startup Stock Photos

 

Bad Intentions

Trust me, I’ve come across many business owners in my time, and a few of them have had their hearts in the wrong place. Those types have been fixated on money, with no regard for the customer or product. They don’t care how, they just want to make money, and to hell with everyone else. I’ve also found that those same people are the ones that ultimately crash and burn. I guess you really do reap what you sow.

Above all, have a belief in your product. If it isn’t the very best it can be, why are you even bothering to sell it? If it’s not something you love and take pride in, shelve it. You’ll only get yourself a bad reputation.

4 Tips for Empowering Your Team

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Your team is your greatest asset — are you helping them help you?

In the initial stages of any business, there is a chance that you will see very rapid growth in the number of employees that you have. While this can be an exciting time, it can also be very stressful and frightening. Team members might come directly to you for advice and guidance because you have the overall vision about what needs to be done.

Your first instinct might be to keep them at arm’s length, but it is your job to inspire and manage the team. Here are some ways that you can help empower your employees and give them the tools necessary to become the successful individuals that you want them to be. Don’t tell them to get off your back — urge them to join you!

  1. Respect the individual. Each person on your team has their own set of skills and experiences. And if you are a young or first-time entrepreneur, chances are pretty good that you’re going to be guiding people who are older than you. Don’t see this as a challenge, but an opportunity to use their experience and knowledge to your advantage. Hear what they have to say and think about what you can implement in order to move the business forward. Of course, this goes for everyone on your team — not just the veterans. Remember that each person has traits that you wanted, even if they don’t excel in other areas.
  2. Be open to new ideas. Keep an open door policy within the company. Some of the best ideas come from unseen sources, and it’s important that you don’t miss them. Let your team know that you are always open to new ideas and that they shouldn’t be afraid to suggest things. These folks are on the front line. They know more about the inner workings of the system than you realize. 
  3. Set the example. It is up to you to motivate your employees and show them what you expect of them. Show them how you want to maintain standards and what needs to be accomplished. If you simply bark orders, you’re not contributing to anyone’s success. If your team sees that you aren’t above the protocol, they are more likely to follow it with you. If you adopt the best practice early on, your team will be able to maintain a higher standard for customers and each other.
  4. Empower your team. Lastly, never forget how important it is to empower your employees. They need to be able to handle some situations without asking you for help. Customers may be waiting for a response, and if they wait for your response each time something comes up, it only slows down the process. Give them the training and knowledge that they need to succeed at what they set out to accomplish. You can do this a number of different ways, but remember that meetings and training sessions can eat up a lot of time and resources. Systems, like a digital guidance system, can be an excellent asset during growth spurts.

By following these four steps, you’ll enable your team to solve issues as they encounter them — so you can focus on more growth in the future.

 Dan Adika is CEO and Co-Founder at WalkMe, an online guidance and engagement platform. WalkMe provides a cloud-based service designed to help professionals – customer support managers, user experience managers, training professionals, SaaS providers and sales managers – to guide and engage prospects, customers, employees and partners through any online …4

 

Dealing With Ego: Why I Love/Hate Consulting

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“I need a solution to X problem, you’re an expert, can you help me”?

That is the foundational reason a consultant is hired.

It drives me nuts when you go out and find an answer to a problem, only to be met with objection because it doesn’t fit the status quo or doesn’t validate their point of view. On the flip side, if what you recommend is embraced, implemented and helps your client go to the next level, it is extremely gratifying and worth dealing with clients who embrace change only in theory.

So how do you deal with this reality?

I’d like to share one of my experiences, how I dealt with it, the risk/reward outcome, and ask those who read this to share their tips and tricks with the rest of us!

Business Ethics When Dealing With Massive Ego

A few years ago I was hired to help flush out business model, functionality requirements and customer acquisition strategy for a new tech company. This venture was a spin off from an existing company that wanted to build a SaaS solution for their clients.

While we agreed on target demographics, general business model etc, important things like what does this software do and how do we get customers were completely opposite.

I spent quite a bit of time talking with potential customers, and asking what they would love to have automated and/or streamlined. In those conversations, I bluntly asked how they would react if approached in different ways from a marketing and sales perspective. Trends were identified, similar functionality requests were made over and over, which quite frankly made this pretty straight forward. 150 potential clients all wanted XYZ, and said what would make them pay attention to it.

So I put together a plan. Top to bottom, here’s what needs to be done. Development, marketing, pricing models etc.

Enter Ego Conundrum

To my surprise and irritation, without even reading what I spent 4 months working on, the person who hired me pulls out his own plan, and proceeded to tell me while he appreciated the time spent, they had decided to move forward in a different direction!

Politely I said “totally understand, would you mind letting me take a look at yours.”

Looking through this alternative, it was blatantly obvious zero research had been done. It was so completely one-sided it would make your head spin, included things every potential customer I had talked to didn’t want, and marketing strategies so antiquated I was stunned.

Very quickly I remembered meetings where everything in this plan had been brought up, and everyone else at the table other than me had been saying yes, yes, sounds great. In reality I had been hired to validate these ideas not actually help develop a plan.

Enter Business Ethics Dilemma

Now I faced a serious problem. Based on the research, if they went down this path a lot of capital would be wasted.

I’d been hired to help them determine the best course of action, but to tell the “boss” he was wrong would require a massive slap to his ego, and likely burn a bridge. But if they followed his plan, 6-12 months later so much money would be wasted the bridge would be burned for not having said it was a bad plan.

I decided to diplomatically relay a few things potential customers had requested in the hope he would be open to listening. Immediately was told he knew the market better than me, and that customers don’t know what they want.

Next, I tried to explain a few thoughts on more efficiently marketing the service, and the value proposition points potential clients had told me. This too was instantly rejected.

It was now clear trying to change his mind was pointless. I now had to make a hard choice, burn bridge now or later.

My Decision And Its Repercussion

I decided that it was better to be upfront, and let the chips fall where they may. A rather strong, but polite case was made, and my prediction of what would happen if his plan was followed.

I stated strongly this wasn’t being against making changes to my plan, but that I truly wanted to do the best for my client, whether they agreed with me or not.

As expected, this was not well received, and I was not so politely asked to leave.

Fast forward a couple years, after zero communication – and hearing from others what he thought of me – out of the blue my phone rang and it was that old client.

After wasting $500k, having absolute rejection by clients, significant internal problems with employees, and even conflict with business partners, he realized that I had really been trying to help him make the right decision. He told me that I had serious “balls” to have stood up to him that way, and apologized for bad mouthing me to others.

We haven’t done business again, but to this day I still get phone calls from people who he’s recommended me to, and hear he says I shoot straight with the clients best interest at heart.

So while I have a love/hate relationship with consulting, it never ceases to amazing me the outcomes you can’t predict. All I can say is it’s always best to do the right thing, even if it doesn’t feel good in the moment.

This is just one of many crazy things that have happened to me. I’d love to hear your experiences, similar situations and how you’ve handled them!

How Children Inspire Greatness

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We all desire to be successful, famous, and–let’s be real–have lots of money.

But what is the true source of that desire?

I want to be someone my 4-year-old daughter can look up to, have the ability to give her a great childhood, and when she grows up, the resources to help her have a better life than me.

Last week, I talked about redefining success and what it truly means to you. The goal of this one is to spark thought in how being a parent can be the foundation of achieving your own personal definition of what success means.

Children Inspire Entrepreneurship

My last company was started literally 3 weeks after finding out I was having a child. From that moment on, my goal has been to build a company, make enough money to have time, and ultimately have a fantastic team handling day to day operations.

Whether that means hundreds of thousands, millions, or billions, is not the point. It’s having enough money and resources to create a powerful bond with my daughter, see all those “firsts”, have freedom of time, and be a powerful father figure to her in any way that I can.

Long nights, hard days, incredible amounts of stress, lack of sleep. These are all prices to be paid to accomplish these goals. 19 months ago my price went even higher, after nearly dying from a massive brain hemorrhage.

As most of what I had worked for collapsed around me, before even getting full clearance from the doctors, my mind was in 6th gear on how to get back on track, get back out there and do it again. Not because of ego, but taking care of my child, making sure there was enough money to give her a good education, and in the long run, be around to see all those “firsts.”

Could I give up on being an entrepreneur? Yes. I have a standing 6 figure job offer from an old client of mine. But in the end, nothing is being built to achieve the goal of time, and I would always be tied to the “job.”

I joke about nearly working myself to death, which in my case is actual reality, but when your sense of immortality is ripped away, you have 2 choices. Be afraid to take risk, or become inspired to push harder than ever.

I choose the latter. Everyday when I wake up, the entrepreneurial fire burns within my soul to go out and make a difference. For her.

Children Inspire Leadership

Leadership requires accepting there are those who follow and trust you to make good decisions. Then making every effort to make those decisions not just for yourself, but for the good of those who follow you.

As a father, I have no greater follower than my daughter. Obviously that will fade when she becomes an adult, but between now and then, when she looks at me and asks questions, eyes full of wonder and trust, the desire to be someone she can rely on both now, and when she is grown inspires me to be great.

That same attitude is something I apply to business. Not that those who follow me can’t think for themselves, but they have placed trust in my ability to lead. They are taking a risk to join forces, to leverage their talents and futures on accomplishing the vision, and ultimately choosing me over someone else.

My daughter didn’t choose me, but in business, you always have a choice. Customer, employee, partners, investors. Who you are and what you set out to do is what inspires others follow.

Inspire Children To Make A Difference

The title of this article was about becoming “great,” but what is greatness? To me, making a difference in the lives of those around you, whether it be one person or millions, is the true essence of greatness.

As parents, we have all the inspiration needed to become great. Through hard work, innovation and entrepreneurship we have the opportunity to achieve it.

I see success in business as a powerful way to inspire my daughter to become great. If in the most important development years of her life she sees a man willing fight through hard times, be a leader, try to make a difference in the lives of those around him, then she has someone worth following.

If at the end of my life the only person I truly made a difference for is my daughter, then that’s OK with me. That is my definition of greatness. What is yours?

The Startup Cult is Redefining Success (And Not in a Good Way)

startup cult

I often joke about the “startup cult” spreading across the world.

The coolness of entrepreneurship is on the rise, but so much of it is compartmentalized into just raising capital, getting some PR and having “founder” as your job title. Not he true nature of being a business owner, leader, and innovative thinker that is required to be truly successful.

While there are amazing organizations all over the world helping startups, sometimes is seems like many of them exist to salve egos, take advantage of wantrapreneurs, and look good on paper from an economic development perspective.

Accelerators and incubators are popping up everywhere, but with so many of the hardships of launching a company accounted for – seed capital, office space, mentors, business networks etc – why is the success rate of these companies not significantly higher than those bootstrapping? What truly is success?

Enter Startup Cult

The vast majority of businesses will never exceed $1 million in yearly revenue, and most currently operating were started with $5,000 or less.

The startup cult I’m talking about encourages and teaches entrepreneurs to raise capital and chase the billion dollar unicorn, but much less attention is spent on how to actually operate a business. Few people want to learn about how to deal with cash flow issues, employee politics, horrible clients, partnership conflict and so on.

Looking back at a decade of serial entrepreneurship, the hardships, rewards and disappointments, it disturbs me to see so many founders obsessed with, and feeling euphoric when, they raise capital. Not getting clients, not achieving growth goals or even making a profit, but getting investors to write them a check.

While a select few will become founders of legend, most will fail and some will become successful on a smaller scale.

What Is Success?

Don’t for a second think I’m saying you don’t have a billion dollar idea, or not to chase the dream. What I’m saying is there are tons of great small business ideas, and just because you “only” turn it into a million dollar company doesn’t mean you failed.

In reality the average household in America makes $54,000 a year with two incomes. Make $100,000 and you’re in the top 10%.

While in the short term it might not be as cool as chasing a billion dollar idea, in reality you have much greater probability of building a $1, 2, 3 million dollar company in a fraction of the time needed to raise capital, get to market, grow, and maybe have an IPO. Is the potential ROI massive, of course it is, but is it smarter to go for the single or double versus a home run?

This goes back to what truly is success? Is it making enough money you’re not worried about paying bills, having freedom to make your own schedule, spend time with family and friends, watch your children grow up, see the world, make a difference?

Or is it being one of the few with more money than you know what to do with, and going down as the Steve Jobs of your era?

What Does Success Mean To You?

It may seem like I’m saying you shouldn’t apply to an accelerator, that entrepreneur centers are a waste of time, not to raise capital or swing for the fences. Nothing could be further from the truth. The point of this article is to inspire entrepreneurs to look at life from a different perspective, and define what success means to them.

This is something you need to think about and let it become a serious foundation of your life. There are many ways to make a difference and to become successful.

Happiness and satisfaction with life is controlled by your own personal definition of success. What is yours?

3 Things That Don’t Matter for A Successful Mentor Relationship

Dinner In Outdoor Restaurant

Twice a year, a 70-year-old Italian immigrant-turned-millionaire CEO walks into Cortese’s restaurant in Binghamton with his 20-something Haitian mentee and orders the same exact dinner: baked salmon, pork chops, Caesar salad with Italian crumbly and a side of gnocchi. While this scene sounds straight out of the movie “Finding Forrester,” it’s just a typical dinner with my long-standing mentor, Angelo Mastrangelo.

Those dinners, and our fruitful mentorship (he helped me to sell an Internet startup after college and become the East Coast Entrepreneur of the Year in 2007), led me to delve deep into the importance of race, age and gender in mentorships. Namely, should these qualities matter at all? The answer isn’t as straightforward as you might think.

Here are three reasons I believe you should look beyond race and gender in your mentor/mentee relationship.

Avoid Blind Spots

Let’s be honest: when looking for a mentor, it’s hard to overlook our tendency to orbit toward people who look like us in regards to race, age and gender.

Is this a bad thing? “It depends,” says Ellen Ensher, Ph.D. Ensher is professor of management at Loyola Marymount University and co-author of Power Mentoring: How Mentors and Protégés Get the Most Out of Their Relationships. “While there are clear benefits to having someone in your corner who empathizes with you, there are some risks.” 

When you only seek mentorship from entrepreneurs who share your world view, you run the risk of developing blind spots for how the outside world views you.

Take Zoe Damacela, 22. A Northwestern University senior and fashion entrepreneur who was part of President Obama’s “Startup America” Initiative,  she made clear that being a daughter of a single mom makes her more comfortable with women as mentors. But, she adds, “I try to push myself beyond my comfort zone and get a male perspective, especially in fashion, where perception is everything.”

Shradha Agarwal, co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of ContextMedia, put it this way: ”Women mentors are really great at helping build confidence, teaching communication skills, and training on other hard skills that are needed to succeed. Male mentors add perspective and allow us to learn how we are being perceived — whether it is body language, dressing, or tone of voice. I think both sets of mentors together — male and female — build a strong and comprehensive team.”

‘Perceived Similarity’ Leads to Deeper Bonds

The Los Angeles race riots of 1992 led to a big push to study mentoring amongst disadvantaged youth in that city. Professor Ellen Ensher led the charge to uncover a question that had dogged researchers for years: Did race even matter in mentoring?

Her research yielded an interesting finding: the idea of perceived similarity. In the past, many people believed mentors connected to mentees based on “surface similarity” — i.e., psychological and social forces like race, class, gender and age. As the saying goes, “Birds of a feather flock together.”

But recent studies show that perceived similarities, such as shared values, attitudes and goals, actually form deeper bonds in the long run.

“Age, race, and gender is of course still the elephant in the room,” explains Professor Ensher, “but I push my clients to get to know their mentor as quickly as possible and build on those common bonds.”

Those are the relationships that tend to endure. And that’s why I meet with Angelo every few months at Cortese’s. We may not look similar, but we are both immigrants and former athletes who value ethics, hustle, and Italian crumbly cheese.

Plus, it may be necessary to look past race in mentoring relationships for minorities, especially in industries that are predominantly white and male. Compared to their peers, talented professionals of color don’t get fast-tracked until much later in their career. But many of those who do reach the executive suite find a key mentor within the first three years, according to a study by Harvard’s David Thomas, the nation’s leading researcher on race and mentoring.

An African-American corporate acquisitions lawyer I spoke to (who wished to remain unnamed) confessed, “There were only a few black partners at the firm but older Africans Americans never mentored me. They saw me as a threat to the position they worked so hard to attain and resented me for rising so quickly. In fact, most of my mentors have been Jewish. We connected on the ‘underdog’ mentality, and they have all been supportive and offered guidance through office politics and the ebbs and flows of a volatile industry.”

Age Doesn’t Matter, But Life Stage Does

In today’s hyper-connected and tech savvy world, a good mentor can be older or younger than you. More important is their stage in life.

Are they a retired industry vet looking to give back? Busy starting a new family or business? Would they be at a stage to view you as competition? These are all things to consider. Importantly, life stage does not always match age. A report on the post-recession generation found nearly half of the 25- to 34-year-olds surveyed said they’ve put off purchasing a home; 29 percent say they’ve delayed starting a family; and 26 percent still live with their parents.

By that logic, an older mentor may be beneficial, especially to a young entrepreneur. They probably have experience you don’t. Just be realistic about how much time to expect from them based on where they are in their career.

In the end, you must find a mentor who is a good fit for you — not just on the surface, but in terms of what benefits they can provide. Who knows? Maybe soon you’ll be on your way to Cortese’s for dinner with your brand-new mentor, too.

 

Bert Gervais, a.k.a. “The Mentor Guy”, is the founder of Success Mentor Education. He is a national best selling author, speaker, and award-winning entrepreneur. You can follow him @BertGervais.

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.

16 Kick Ass Quotes On Leadership From People Who Walk the Talk

leadership

So often we become consumed with telling people what to do that we forget the true essence of leadership. Take a few minutes and learn from those who came before.

As a follower, you must know who to follow. As a leader, you must earn your followers!

Bill Gates

As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.

George Patton

Lead me follow me or get the hell out of my way!

Sun Tzu

A leader leads by example, not by force.

Napoleon Bonaparte

A leader is a dealer in hope.

John C. Maxwell

A good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share of the blame and little less than his share of the credit.

Anthony J. D’Angelo

You don’t have to hold a position in order to be a leader.

Gene Mauch

You can’t lead anyone else further than you have gone yourself.

Peter Drucker

Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes…but no plans.

Theodore M. Hesburgh

The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. you can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.

Davy Crockett

Be sure you’re right…then go ahead!

Henry Miller

The real leader has no need to lead, he is content to point the way.

Eric Hoffer

The leader has to be practical and a realist, yet must talk the language of the visionary and the idealist.

Harvey S. Firestone

The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.

Ronald Reagan

The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.

Theodore Roosevelt

People ask the difference between a leader and a boss…The leader works in the open, and the boss in covert. The leader leads, and the boss drives.

Dennis A. Peer

One measure of leadership is the caliber of people who choose to follow you.

Andrew Carnegie

No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it.

Short sweet and to the point. Everyday, take the time to learn from those who came before you on how to become a better leader. Leaders are forged, not born.

Share how these quotes impact you and others that you find inspirational!

Oh Snap! I’m a Leader Now!

leadership

How many of you have experienced an epiphany where you realized people were following you and trusted your judgement?

I’ve had several of those in my career, and each one has forced me to analyse what I’m doing and become a better man. While these moments cause you to accept responsibility and the weight of leadership, they also provide opportunities to take things to another level and surprise yourself.

So let’s dive into a few moments where leadership can be realized, and the choices you face.

I Want To Live Up To Your Expectations, And Be Who You Want Me To Be.

That was said to me after a former employee asked me to write his biography for a new job. I had hired him out of college, and watched him grow from being a hot headed, high maintenance employee to a rock star designer in high demand.

What I said in his biography was everything I had seen him become, and what he had told me were his ultimate goals in life. This made me realize that he viewed me as a leader, respected my opinion, but what meant the most to me was his desire to live up to expectations.

Over the years I have tried to help mold him professionally into someone who could communicate with clients, deal with the stress of managing a team, and to know when to take a stand, but more importantly how to be a good businessman.

The challenge I now face is being worthy of his respect. Not to boost my ego, but to not let him down. Leadership is a two-way street.

I Used To Hate You. Now I Understand You.

A few months ago I got a phone call out of the blue from another former employee who has started his own company. He’s now having to hire and fire, deal with difficult clients and cash flow issues.

He had left my company in a huff feeling like he wasn’t being valued, in spite of being told the reasons we couldn’t pay him more at the time. We were in a bit of a cash flow crunch, and just couldn’t afford to raise his salary.

Our conversation quickly turned to him asking questions about how I had dealt with the stress of building a company. How to deal with employee issues, and how to approach difficult clients.

It was in that moment I realized that in spite of the rough ending to our business relationship years prior, how I had conducted myself then had stuck with him. To him, I was a leader he could trust to give solid advice. Since then, we’ve had more conversations about how the advice given had been implemented, different spins he’s applied that have worked and what didn’t work.

The choice I’m faced with is always doing the right thing, even if it’s not popular in the moment. As a leader you can’t be swayed by emotion when making tough choices.

I Want To Work FOR You! Don’t Do This Without Me!

A couple of weeks ago I was having a conversation about a business idea with a man I have a great deal of respect for. He has been very successful, currently runs a multi-million dollar company, and has influence superior to my own.

He was so inspired by the passion and logic behind the idea, with great vigor he said he would walk away from what he’s doing now, and would work for me if I asked. Very quickly I made it clear that my goal was to work withhim, not him work for me.

The moment of realization I had was that age and prior success are not what makes you a leader, but the ability to inspire others, not only through intellect but also passion. I have always been a passionate firecracker in life and business, but so often forgotten the impact it influences those around me.

As a leader, I must always maintain passion for what I’m doing, or it is only reasonable for those following to have doubt. When your fire begins to wane, search for reasons to keep going and fan the flames!

If You Do Not Know Where You Are Going, Every Road Will Get You Nowhere – Henry Kissinger

As a leader, you are out front building the road those behind you will travel. You will never be able to predict every challenge you will face, but you must know what your goal is and stick to it.

Those you have inspired to travel the hard road with you will help you to make it through hard times, pick you up when you fall, and someday a few will begin to build their own road.

It is up to you to accept the responsibility of being a leader, for you never know when the road they build can join with yours. In times of need they can becomeyour inspiration, and help take you up to the mountain peak!

Be a leader who inspires trust and loyalty, or be greedy and have nothing but mercenaries. The choice is yours.

But always remember that followers choose their leader!