Every entrepreneur starts with the same goal: to have a successful business. But building your business from the ground up is much easier said than done! This endeavor takes a lot of time, patience, money and learning. As you’re probably aware, becoming an entrepreneur is more than a job. It’s a lifestyle.Fortunately, we’re here to make things easier. We’ve researched some of the best tips for a successful entrepreneurial business and compiled them here- just for you! Be CreativeNot surprising, huh? It’s no secret that in order for your business to succeed, it needs to stand out from the competition. And right now, there’s a lot of it! From Etsy to Amazon, small storefronts to big companies, everyone is vying for your customers. Your job? Appeal to your target audience in a new way by showing them you can solve their problems like no other business out there. Again, much easier said than done.This is where creativity comes in. Creativity is much more than working in a room filled with childhood toys and bean bag chairs and hoping a genius idea will come to you if you look around long enough. While toys and other miscellaneous objects are said to help spark creativity, they aren’t the sole factor. It’s difficult to see creativity as anything but unstructured, random thoughts. Over and over, we’re told that creativity is thinking outside the box, that the secret is to get around the problem, and that is creativity. Not so. What if we were to tell you that instead of thinking outside the box, you must think inside the box? When we think inside the box, we understand the parameters and internal aspects of the problem. Now it’s easier to be creative! We know the boundaries and understand what exactly needs to be done and how to do it. It’s much more efficient than spitballing ideas that are truly creative but provide no use to your given situation.Creativity also involves a bit of research. Yes...research. You need to be aware of your target audience, their perceptions, the development of the industry, and so many other factors. Understanding what is going on in the world will help you to find the best fitting, creative solution. Creativity requires work and preparation (sorry!) but in the end, it’s necessary.Learn to EvolveHave you heard the adage, “He who never adapts will fail”? Probably not, since we made it up. But it’s true, so maybe it should become one…Anyways, it’s no longer possible for businesses to remain the same year after year and continue to prosper. Take marketing for example. Regardless of your stance on advertising/marketing, it’s a field you need to research often and in depth. New medias open the way to connect better with audiences, customers are attracted to certain kinds of advertisements, certain campaigns do amazingly well while others flop, the list goes on. Turning away from this is turning away from a golden opportunity.But more so than marketing are business methods, processes and technologies in general that can make your business more efficient and powerful. In order to succeed, as an entrepreneur, you need to be humble enough to seek out and accept new opportunities into your business. Keep an open mindset and be prepared to evolve to fit new market needs while utilizing new methods. The world is ever-changing; is your business?Listen to Customer ComplaintsIt’s never easy to hear complaints against something you’ve worked so hard on. Here you are, investing countless hours and energy as you work to produce something beneficial, and some customer out there has found something to complain about. Frustrating, right? But there’s a lesson to be learned here.Successful entrepreneurs listen to these complaints to identify their business’ weaknesses. As a business owner, it’s very easy to become blind to something you’ve been working on. After all, you’ve built this from the ground up. You understand every aspect of what’s going on. However, your customers might not. It could be anything from obscure programs you use, an odd click funnel or a small defect in the product. Whatever it is your customers gripe about, take a step back (maybe take a few deep breaths), analyze the situation and fix the problem.You may be tempted to ignore them. And that’s fine…if the comment is from an internet troll. Every entrepreneur’s goal is to have customers interested and spending money on their product or service. However, if you don’t listen to the feedback provided by authentic customers and adapt accordingly, soon you’ll have fewer and fewer customers until they all find a better service. Grim, but that’s the business. Avoid this by taking complaints seriously and with respect.Find a MentorYou’re never too old to have a mentor! Many of the best entrepreneurs today have worked with seasoned experts of their time before going their own way. Think of it like this: when you come across a problem, would you:
Should be a no-brainer, right? The best mentors teach you the various elements of running your own business, often taking a parental role by describing past mistakes so you can learn it and avoid them in your own endeavor. Finding a mentor also has humility undertones; you don’t know everything, no matter how much research you’ve done. But others can help you fill in the gaps as long as you’re willing to ask. Being courageous enough to ask for advice also helps expand your network. Whether you find a mentor within a company you used to work for or you find and message someone successful on LinkedIn, you’ve gained respect and a friend. It’s a win-win!Fail a LittleYes, many successful entrepreneurs today encourage new entrepreneurs to fail. Weird, but it will make sense in a moment. From childhood, we were taught to be afraid of failure. But thinking back, we had to fail in order to learn! No child (that we know of) decided they were going to learn how to ride a bike, sat on the bike, and by quickly peddling, did a few laps around the neighborhood. We fail, we fall, we get back up, we try again. It’s the cycle for learning just about everything. As an entrepreneur, it’s no different. There will be times when you need to fail. It’s best to accept this now, as it cannot be avoided, no matter how hard you try! You can learn from mentors’ past mistakes, get advice before every decision, but just know that failure will happen. The best time to fail is while your business is still budding. This specific time is best used to really nail down your target demographic, try new advertisements, experiment with products and promotions, and try a few risks. Go for it; you have the freedom! As time goes on and your business is more established, it’s infinitely more difficult to fail while trying something new. Granted, it’s still going to happen, but now it has bigger effects.So enjoy your business while it’s small! Don’t be afraid to try and experiment. Keep and open mindset. Know that your results won’t always be perfect, but you can learn from these lessons and apply that knowledge as your business grows.
