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5 Things Every Modern Entrepreneur Needs

Amid the release of data revealing that the economic outlook among U.S. small business owners had finally stabilized, there’s cause for entrepreneurs to be optimistic. Whether or not that outlook begins to uptick not only depends upon how agile, adaptable, creative and resourceful entrepreneurs can be in planning for, or reacting to, market conditions, revenue and brand-building opportunities and other key concerns, but also how well they maintain a forward-thinking mindset.

Towards this end, tomorrow’s smart and successful entrepreneur will have their bases well-covered on these five fronts in particular:


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About the Author

Brian GreenbergBrian Greenberg is a multi-faceted entrepreneur who has founded and now spearheads multiple online businesses. He currently co-owns and operates three entrepreneurial companies with his father, Elliott Greenberg, which have each flourished for over 10 years: www.WholesaleJanitorialSupply.com, www.TouchFreeConcepts.com and www.TrueBlueLifeInsurance.com.

New Markets: Why Leaving Your Comfort Zone Is A Good Idea

As a business owner, you will doubtless have particular markets that you sell your wares to. For instance, let’s say that you run a bicycle store. Your target market will be people that want to cycle for leisure and competition purposes.

You might have thought about targeting different audiences. Like people that want a bespoke bicycle, for example. Or those that want to buy recycled bicycles. You might have even thought about offering a vintage bicycle restoration service.

Of course, those new markets might sound lucrative, in theory. But how do you know that they will be in practice?

New Markets: Why Leaving Your Comfort Zone Is A Good Idea
Photo courtesy of Joe Mabel

As someone that runs a business, you will be used to taking risks. Entering your existing marketplace was a risk you took when you first set up your enterprise. But if you want to branch out, it makes sense to leave your comfort zone to help grow your business. Here’s why:

You don’t want your competitors to grow quicker than you

If you’ve thought about branching out into a particular niche, chances are your competitors will have too. That’s why it is important to strike while the iron is hot, as it were. The last thing you want is to be known as a follower. You want to be known as a leader!

Competition can often be quite tough, depending on your market and location. The business world doesn’t wait around for people to make decisions. One of the crucial facts of running a successful company is being willing to adapt to changing market conditions.

You want to earn more money by innovating and pioneering

If you find that you will generate more revenue in a particular niche, it’s best to establish yourself in that niche first. Otherwise, you could find yourself competing with a plethora of established businesses. And we all know how tough that can be!

Take Issa Asad from Florida, for example. When he first started in business, he introduced the concept of takeaway food to gas stations. Now every gas station around the world is doing the same thing! He also pioneered the prepayment PIN concept for mobile phone purchases.

You want to expand into new areas

My mother always used to tell me never to “keep all my eggs in one basket.” That rings true in the business world. The only reason today’s successful firms thrive is because they offer a varied choice of products and services.

It’s no secret that, in some industries, pinning your hopes on one flagship product or service can soon lead to failure. Consumers love innovation and will always flock to buy the “next big thing.” It’s your job to come up with that next big thing!

You want to create simple solutions to common problems

We all buy stuff because we want solutions to our daily problems in life. If we’re hungry, we buy food. If our car’s low on gas, we buy petrol. And so on.

Sometimes there are strategies for solutions you’ve identified that make it easier for people to solve their problems. But if you just stick to what you do now, you’ll never have a chance to grab that opportunity!

How to be an Effective Manager

Effectively managing people, processes, or both is in many ways a balancing act. Some would even describe it as an art form. There are many variables in play simultaneously which determine if somebody will ultimately be successful in a leadership role.

Before a manager begins to understand all of these nuances they must learn one of the major underlying principles if they are going to recognize their full potential as leaders. They must learn to walk the tightrope between being personal and professional at the same time. It is important to be personal and on good terms with your team members because this is the only way to ensure teamwork and peak performance, but you must also be professional to be respected and trusted. Be too friendly and you may be taken advantage of or not taken seriously, be too buttoned up and ‘professional’ and you risk coming across as uncaring and stubborn.


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About the Author

Gabriel Bristol, president and CEO of Intelicare Direct, is one of today’s most versatile CEOs, having led remarkable turnarounds for several large corporations as well as helping establish rapidly growing start-ups. Gabriel’s success has been well documented, with features in Forbes and other publications throughout the country. To read Gabriel’s complete biography, click here.

Breathing Life Into Your Values-Based Culture

What does your company’s culture look like? Can you clearly define it and how it contributes to the overall success of your business? Could your culture benefit from some special attention? Throughout my 25 year career, I’ve admired certain companies that consistently outshine their competition. What is their secret ingredient? I’ve arrived at an undeniable conclusion? company culture.

But when it comes to building and establishing that culture, where do you start? I’ve learned that one of the most essential steps is determining the difference between your company’s priorities and values. Priorities are the day-to-day demands of our jobs. They can shift and change constantly. In contrast, values are the glue that bind us together. Our values must not change; they are non-negotiable. Our daily decisions are grounded in our values, and the key is discovering what is most important to us. I learned where my values lied when I was working for a former employer. My boss was a headstrong individual who would lock in on an idea, lobby some employees to join his cause, then push his ideas on everyone else until he got his way. His behaviors led to some ill-conceived and financially dangerous decisions.


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About the Author

Brian Fielkow is the author of Driving to Perfection: Achieving Business Excellence by Creating a Vibrant Company Culture and owner of Jetco Deliver. in Houston, Texas. He and has presented to thousands of people across the country on how to establish a healthy culture. To continue the conversation, contact Brian at [email protected], and learn more at drivingtoperfection.com.