Re-Posting from 10/08/2012:
I had the pleasure of speaking at the Graduate School to a group of students taking an entrepreneurship class. I shared my personal story of leaving corporate to start my own business and my own list of Top Ten Tips for entrepreneurial Survival:
1-Every dollar you don’t spend is revenue- if it doesn’t truly contribute to sales and taking care of clients, don’t spend it!
2-Innovate/Reinvent/Redefine – Keep all your senses tuned to the market and your client needs. Know the pain and provide solutions.
3-Be a partner – there are more demands on organizations and the individuals in those organizations, be there to listen, help, act and not just when you are getting paid.
4- Multiple revenue streams – ensure that you diversify your business within your core expertise (different client sectors, industries, etc)
5-Invest in marketing/sales
6-Rebrand yourself to the new market dynamics
7-Develop new partnerships/Expand your network – go where your competitors do not go.
8-No task is too small
9-Be alert and open minded to opportunities
10-Make sure you always save time to think
Think. Be. See Purple