THINK ABOUTWHY YOU STARTED IN THE FIRST PLACE Y ou created your business because you are passionate about something and wanted to build a brand from the ground up. You chose to make a living pursuing your passion and your dream rather than working for someone else. Being an entrepreneur gives you the power to make your own decisions each and every day, yes that is difficult but remember it also allows you to create what you wish and offer products and services that help others also grow their businesses, while feeding your own passion to grow your brand and business. Remember you got into business because you have something to offer the world! PUT IN THE TIME S ometimes when you hit a little slump, it’s because you are not putting in the requiredeffort toget thebusiness off the ground. In the early stages of a business, expect to be working longer hours. You can’t just wait for your ideal customers to show up because they magically know you exist. You need to put yourself out there and get some visibility. You need to be active and engage with other businesses and entrepreneurs and let them know what you can do to help them grow their businesses. If you are a direct to consumer brand, then you need to tell anyone who will listen what you are up to and what your business offers so that you can get the word out. This is not only by hitting the pavement, but also getting active on social media to connect and engage with potential customers and let them know what you have to offer. They might not be your target customer, but they might know of someone that can use your services and that will get you some word of month exposure that you need to give your business the boost it needs.
By Rod Gregg
KEEPING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL DREAM ALIVE
B eing an entrepreneur and running a business isn’t easy and anyone that says it is, is not being true to you or themselves. We all have days as an entrepreneur (I know I certainly do) when we wonder why we’ve chosen the road less travelled and became an entrepreneur in the first place. Sometimes it just seems a lot easier to go work for someone else – check in at 9, check out at 5, and not have to worry about building a business all day every day. Sometimes you can feel like you are spinning your wheels and not making any progress. Just as you feel like you are getting ahead and have a path towards your goal you have a setback and you need to rethink and adjust your strategy and you might lose confidence in your product, your business, and yourself. While it’s normal to feel this way sometimes, it’s important not to stay there very long and let it affect you long term. This article is to help you get back in gear and focus on the future, as you cannot change the past you can only learn from it. So, here are some things to help you get out of that funk and get you focused back on building your brand.
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • JULY 2019
51 JULY 2019 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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