7 of the Most Important Things to Focus on in 2015
Ready to make this year the best ever for your business? Then read on for tips on what to focus on in 2015.
Surround yourself with great people and your business will grow. But for new entrepreneurs, building the right culture can be downright daunting when you barely even know how to scrap together a coherent business plan.
But building a good culture takes time and patience. For inspiration, have a look at the culture-first ethos of Zappos, a company famous for customer satisfaction.
Related reading: Customer Service Lessons From Zappos
Imagine being just 30 and already a startup veteran with a $170 million dollar sale under your belt!
That's Ryan Allis' story -- he founded the email marketing and social media startup iContact in his 20s, and sold it for a princely sum just shy of his 30th birthday. Now believed to worth 40 million dollars, the millennial entrepreneur just released a 1,248 slide PowerPoint deck of his learning from life and business.
One of the young entrepreneur's best lessons is to focus on problems, or "pain points" in order to build a profitable business.
A "pain point" is the market need that your product or service addresses. When you talk about your business, think about what problem it solves.
Related reading: How to Create a Killer Elevator PitchMore »
Bank loans can be an important part of a entrepreneur's life, but self-funding is just as important. Consider the story of Crossfit South Brooklyn owner David Osorio:
"When I wanted to start CFSBK, it didn’t seem like the smartest approach to find partners, take out a huge loan, and rent some ludicrously overpriced real estate in Brooklyn in order to start a gym based around a niche training concept that no one had heard of," Osorio writes in a post on his blog. "My entire "financial plan" was to simply work to my best abilities within the resources I had and to never spend a single dollar I didn't already have available. My rule was that if I didn't have the funds to obtain something I needed, I would have to work harder with what I did have until I was able to afford it."More »
Are you a natural born bootstrapper? If so, the urge to have your hands in everything will be strong. And as startups proliferate, more and more entrepreneurs want to be fluent in the language of code. And while "learning to code" may not mean you are personally building an app or a website, it can give you a serious leg up in a competitive landscape.
Learn to code now! More »
Along with "minimum viable product," the term "growth hacking" is all the rage among tech startups. It purports to deliver to early stage startups rapid yet sustainable growth. And what's not to love about growth?
Sean Ellis, the originator of the term, recently appeared at Percolate's Transition Conference to discuss the finer points of a role that is disrupting the traditional path of marketing for startups. His ideas can be applied to a number of small businesses.
Growth hacking was developed to deal with a couple of peculiarities of venture-backed startups. Namely, that when you have a new company, you have no "brand equity" or imprint on the minds of consumers. At the same time, you have no legacy baggage, no ingrained way of doing things. You're fighting for survival and are therefore in the perfect place for experimentation and hopefully growth.
Engineer more growth now! More »
When the topic of entrepreneurship comes up, just about everyone wants to make "an app." And apps are all well and good, but don't let that make you overlook amazing opportunities in high-growth sectors like biotechnology.
Amazingly, a nine-person San Diego company called Mapp may have the best shot yet at ending the deadly Ebola epidemic. They've developed an experimental drug called ZMAPP that has been rushed into use as the virus spreads. Their extraordinary story reveals opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship in the biotechnology sector. Read more here. More »
Sometimes enhancing your workflow isn't about learning a new system or spending more money. It's about doing more with less, as in these 11 great iPad and iPhone hidden features and tricks. More »
1. Building a Quality Culture
Surround yourself with great people and your business will grow. But for new entrepreneurs, building the right culture can be downright daunting when you barely even know how to scrap together a coherent business plan.
But building a good culture takes time and patience. For inspiration, have a look at the culture-first ethos of Zappos, a company famous for customer satisfaction.
Related reading: Customer Service Lessons From Zappos
2. Solving Pain Points
Imagine being just 30 and already a startup veteran with a $170 million dollar sale under your belt!
That's Ryan Allis' story -- he founded the email marketing and social media startup iContact in his 20s, and sold it for a princely sum just shy of his 30th birthday. Now believed to worth 40 million dollars, the millennial entrepreneur just released a 1,248 slide PowerPoint deck of his learning from life and business.
One of the young entrepreneur's best lessons is to focus on problems, or "pain points" in order to build a profitable business.
A "pain point" is the market need that your product or service addresses. When you talk about your business, think about what problem it solves.
Related reading: How to Create a Killer Elevator PitchMore »
3. Funding Your Own Growth
Bank loans can be an important part of a entrepreneur's life, but self-funding is just as important. Consider the story of Crossfit South Brooklyn owner David Osorio:
"When I wanted to start CFSBK, it didn’t seem like the smartest approach to find partners, take out a huge loan, and rent some ludicrously overpriced real estate in Brooklyn in order to start a gym based around a niche training concept that no one had heard of," Osorio writes in a post on his blog. "My entire "financial plan" was to simply work to my best abilities within the resources I had and to never spend a single dollar I didn't already have available. My rule was that if I didn't have the funds to obtain something I needed, I would have to work harder with what I did have until I was able to afford it."More »
4. Learning to Code
Are you a natural born bootstrapper? If so, the urge to have your hands in everything will be strong. And as startups proliferate, more and more entrepreneurs want to be fluent in the language of code. And while "learning to code" may not mean you are personally building an app or a website, it can give you a serious leg up in a competitive landscape.
Learn to code now! More »
5. Engineering More Growth
Along with "minimum viable product," the term "growth hacking" is all the rage among tech startups. It purports to deliver to early stage startups rapid yet sustainable growth. And what's not to love about growth?
Sean Ellis, the originator of the term, recently appeared at Percolate's Transition Conference to discuss the finer points of a role that is disrupting the traditional path of marketing for startups. His ideas can be applied to a number of small businesses.
Growth hacking was developed to deal with a couple of peculiarities of venture-backed startups. Namely, that when you have a new company, you have no "brand equity" or imprint on the minds of consumers. At the same time, you have no legacy baggage, no ingrained way of doing things. You're fighting for survival and are therefore in the perfect place for experimentation and hopefully growth.
Engineer more growth now! More »
6. Finding New Opportunities
When the topic of entrepreneurship comes up, just about everyone wants to make "an app." And apps are all well and good, but don't let that make you overlook amazing opportunities in high-growth sectors like biotechnology.
Amazingly, a nine-person San Diego company called Mapp may have the best shot yet at ending the deadly Ebola epidemic. They've developed an experimental drug called ZMAPP that has been rushed into use as the virus spreads. Their extraordinary story reveals opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship in the biotechnology sector. Read more here. More »
7. Doing More with Less
Sometimes enhancing your workflow isn't about learning a new system or spending more money. It's about doing more with less, as in these 11 great iPad and iPhone hidden features and tricks. More »