THE SOLOPRENEURS MILLIONAIRE DOLLAR MINDSET! GLOBAL ENTREPRENURSHIP WEEK...SNOOP DOGG @ NYSE & HIS TIPS ON BUSINESS... I CAN RELATE!

"There’s no shame in taking a peak at someone else’s playbook and adopting their best practices!" - kASH 

Solopreneur or Lonelypreneur?

To me, the word “solo” conjures up images of a hang glider enjoying the solitude and beauty of a solo flight; or a gifted musician on stage performing solo before appreciative fans. Both are strong, independent people with a passion for living in the moment and a drive to live their greatest dream - in spite of their deepest fears. If you think about it, doesn’t that describe the spirit of an entrepreneur as well?

Yet, for many solopreneurs the word “solo” translates to loneliness, living with the burden of decision-making, uncertainty, and often sleepless nights. Well, I believe that anyone is capable of changing a negative scenario into a brighter picture. It takes a little self-prodding to get outside of your current comfort zone so make sure to ask for support and maybe some accountability from someone. That may be a spouse, friend, peer, or a coach – there are a lot of resources out there. Here are some ideas that will help!

1. Join networking and social groups. A weekly meeting offers camaraderie, resources, and a boost to your professionalism.
2. Spend some time working outside of your home: a local coffeehouse, library, park, or at the home of another solopreneur.
3. Get help with the kids: Don’t try to be the full time childcare provider AND run a full time business. You are setting yourself up to fail. Either accept that your business is a part time operation (for now) or arrange for child care for some part of the week. You AND your children will be much happier.
4. Create an Advisory Board: It doesn’t matter that your business is small, you will still benefit from the well-rounded expertise of an Advisory Board. Choose 3-7 people who are experts in marketing, sales, product development, etc. and consult with them as a group on a quarterly basis.
5. Build a social network: While it’s almost too easy to get lost on Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIn and other such sites, they are valuable tools in building your network and creating friendships. Occasionally touching base in the virtual world helps ward off that lonely feeling AND will help you to grow your business.
6. Create balance! If you’re taking care of the kids by day and working by night, there’s no time for relationships and socialization. Get out one night (or day) a week. Call a friend or have a date night with your significant other. Make sure to create conversations around things other than business and kids. When you talk about things like hobbies, vacations, and other interests, it will bring a sense of “togetherness” and ward off that feeling of isolation.
7. Always dress for work: Working in your PJ’s may seem novel at first, but can escalate those feelings of “aloneness.”
8. Take regular breaks and GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! I take myself for a power-walk or a nice lunch (even a picnic) at least 3 times a week. You’ll be amazed by the energizing effect of this outing.
9. Find other solopreneurs and brainstorm with them. I have several friends who also own their own business and our conversations raise our energy levels and renew the passion.
10. Get Coached: Of course, I always recommend coaching as well. When I started my first business I hired a business coach. It not only took some of the pressure off, it confirmed my choices, affirmed my purpose, and eventually led to an amazing career! 

GLOBAL ENTREPRENURSHIP WEEK: 

Snoop Dogg Speaks to Young Entrepreneurs

To kick off Global Entrepreneurship Week, I spent the morning at the New York Stock Exchange at an event called “Mentoring Madness,” sponsored by NYSE Euronextand the Kauffman Foundation. A roomful of eager, aspiring college entrepreneurs soaked up advice from a panel of inspiring veterans, including Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS Shoes, Barry Sternlicht, chairman of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Stephen Hanson, founder of B.R. Guest Restaurants, and rapper/entrepreneur Snoop Dogg (no wonder every seat was filled!). CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo interviewed the group and extracted some pearls of wisdom, relevant to all entrepreneurs, young and not so young alike:

1. Some Rules Are Not Meant To Be Broken. Blake Mycoskie talked about how thrilled he was when Nordstrom’s first started carrying TOMS Shoes. He stubbornly refused the retail giant’s request for the shoes to be packaged in traditional shoeboxes rather than the environmentally friendly canvas bags that Mycoskie was so proud of. Nordstrom relented, but the bags were a stockroom disaster: they couldn’t be properly stacked, their drawstrings became tangled, and they caused frustration among the sales staff. The result: “We got kicked out of Nordstrom and it almost put us out of business,” Mycoskie says. “Now we put our shoes in boxes.” Lesson: choose your battles wisely; compromise isn't a dirty word.

2. Admit That You Don’t Know It All. Stephen Hanson grew his restaurant empire from one location in New York (Coconut Grill) to 15 locations in three cities. But he didn’t do it alone. Hanson relied heavily on experienced mentors in the industry. “I used to pick up Michael Weinstein every day at his home and drive him to work so that I could talk to him about the restaurant business,” says Hanson. Weinstein is the founder and CEO of Ark Restaurants, which owns and operates fifty food-related businesses. Hanson’s advice: seek out successful people who you admire and respect and don’t be shy about asking for their advice.

3. Customer Research Is Overrated. According to Barry Sternlicht, when hotel guests were asked to name the ten most important factors to consider when choosing a hotel, bed comfort didn’t show up on the list. “But when we asked them how much extra they would pay for a great bed, the answer was $20 a night,” he said. And so began Starwood’s successful campaign to differentiate itself to consumers through the quality of its beds. “Sometimes people don’t know what they want until you offer it to them,” says Sternlicht. He also offered the audience my favorite piece of advice of the morning: “People lose their fortunes when they lose their humility.” Hear that, Wall Street?

4. “It Ain’t Nothin’ Y’all Can’t Do.” Those are direct words of encouragement from Snoop Dogg, who made my day when I got a great profile shot of him on my iPhone on the floor of the NYSE right after the opening bell. You can see it here. Snoop’s advice: be original and creative and don’t let lack of money discourage you. “I had to hustle from the ground up. I had no money, so I went to DJs and to parties until I met Dr. Dre,” he says. And learn from failure, he adds, because “it teaches you what you shouldn’t do.” What did he learn? “I didn’t understand when I first started out that I had to be a role model. I brought everyone up with me – the homies from the neighborhood and the criminals. But then I realized I had to change my whole environment.” Now, he says, his most important project is The Snoop Youth Football League, which he founded to help keep inner city youth off the street. “It teaches them how to win,” he says, “and how to lose.” Biggest surprise about Snoop: he took calculus because “if you stop at general math, you’re only going to make a general math salary.”

So what's your advice to aspiring young entrepreneurs? What do you know now that you wish someone had told you when you were first starting your business?

Small beginnings, Big Dreams....(source Inc.com)

Last week, I heard Jill Blashack Strahan, CEO of Tastefully Simple, speak on the main stage at the Inc. 500 Conference. Today Tastefully Simple is a $140 million company that sells easy to prepare food for busy people.

Jill’s story is interesting and inspirational. It actually started with the death of her brother when she was just 26, which was a major wake up call and ultimately what motivated her to start her business. The saying “Life is Short” became very real to her and she decided that it was time to DO something. She has three major points she lives by: Just Start, Know Where You’re Going, Don’t Stop.

Just Start

Jill claims that often times it’s actually the start that stops us. Many people just stop before they even have a chance to really start. You may or may not have a plan, but you’ve got to give yourself a shot.

Tastefully Simple started with $36K, and Jill’s mom kicked in another $15K just in case she needed it. She started her business in a shed with no running water, and packed packages on a pool table.

She had one employee (herself), and for a long while, she didn’t even take a salary. That was never really problem for her because at the time, she had never earned more than $14K in one year. I know a lot of business owners that have lived the “no pay” story, including myself.

She asked herself, “What’s the worse thing that can happen if I just start?” I think that was one of the best parts of her session.

Know Where You’re Going (not necessarily what you’re doing)

What I loved about Jill’s story of starting out was that she admitted she was clueless. Furthermore, she hated to cook, which actually became her message. She talked about how easy it was to prepare these meals, and that if she could do it, anyone could. In the first six months, she had seven consultants and $100K in sales. Jill’s biggest selling point was she believed that her business concept would work, and that in turn translated to customers.

Once she had faith, she was able to focus and pinpoint where she was going. She told herself and her employees that in five years the company would do $11 million in sales. Five years later, Tastefully Simple did $11.8 million in sales. It was about dreaming, believing, and working hard.

Don’t Stop

Two months after she started Tastefully Simple, her brother David was sentenced to prison for 20 years. Eight short months later her husband died, and she had a five-year-old son to raise on her own. Talk about a strong woman!

Jill told us that during that time, she thought a lot about giving up, and that’s what happens when we allow feelings of fear to take over. In her mind, fear is the gatekeeper to strength. She went on to say that we only get stronger when conquering our fears. Her best advice: get through fear.

In her situation of continual tragedy, she said to herself: “I will not accept this.” And she didn’t. Another great motto Jill lives by: “Get through it one minute at a time.”
How does she do it? Here are her tips:

1 – Compartmentalize in your mind; you have to put some things aside so you can control your present actions.
2 - Get through fear; get better or get bitter.
3 – Hang on to your supporters, your sunshine people. These are the people that walk into the room and make it light up.

All in all, this was a moving and inspirational story of a successful entrepreneur persevering and conquering the odds. Do you have a story where you persevered and conquered your own odds? Comment!

Get your mind, RIGHT!