Top Seven Things All Entrepreneurs Should Know
We're compiling a list of the top Seven (And Counting) things Entrepreneurs should know by asking seasoned members of our community to contribute. If you have one that you think NEEDS to be on the list - submit it in the contact form on the right!
1) "It’s not what you think your product is for, it’s what your customers use it for." Blog
- Jimmy Hendricks , Artistichub.com
- Jimmy Hendricks , Artistichub.com
2) "An idea (product) is not the same as a business! A business is an idea (product) with a MARKET: people who will pay money (preferably more than once) for what you are offering at a price you will accept."
- Rob Fuller, Ed. D., Director, Entrepreneur Development Program, UCSD
- Rob Fuller, Ed. D., Director, Entrepreneur Development Program, UCSD
3) Is all about the Story - Need to maker sure your 30 second high concept pitch is focused on communicating the importance of what your biz is improving, optimizing, creating and solving in the market place.
- Robert Reyes, StartupCircle
What is a high concept pitch?
- Robert Reyes, StartupCircle
What is a high concept pitch?
4)
A- "As an entrepreneur, everyone always inquires about your company's projections. Projections are great for what they are... goals. From our experience, it's much easier to speak about your company's development if you highlight milestones. Build out a simple timeline, fill it in with major accomplishments (beta, partnerships, product launches, sales...) and use that as your roadmap to success. All in all, if you haven't achieved anything noteworthy, it's time to start doing something remarkable.
Bonus Tip
B- "Everything revolves around your pitch! Hone and perfect your pitch. Throw yourself into uncomfortable situations head on, and attempt to dumb down your idea. If you're an engineer, pitch someone with a different background, etc. The goal to a pitch is simply to peak someone's interest and get to the very next step. Whatever that next step may be- receiving a business card, locking down a phone call, or setting up a meeting- there is an art to pitching."
- Scott Fetters, Webceleb.com
A- "As an entrepreneur, everyone always inquires about your company's projections. Projections are great for what they are... goals. From our experience, it's much easier to speak about your company's development if you highlight milestones. Build out a simple timeline, fill it in with major accomplishments (beta, partnerships, product launches, sales...) and use that as your roadmap to success. All in all, if you haven't achieved anything noteworthy, it's time to start doing something remarkable.
Bonus Tip
B- "Everything revolves around your pitch! Hone and perfect your pitch. Throw yourself into uncomfortable situations head on, and attempt to dumb down your idea. If you're an engineer, pitch someone with a different background, etc. The goal to a pitch is simply to peak someone's interest and get to the very next step. Whatever that next step may be- receiving a business card, locking down a phone call, or setting up a meeting- there is an art to pitching."
- Scott Fetters, Webceleb.com
6)
"Be careful in how you choose a business partner. They should have broad
business acumen (to be critical of your strategy ideas) but deep in a skill
relevant to what they will be responsible for."
- Chris Waldron, TakeLessons.com
"Be careful in how you choose a business partner. They should have broad
business acumen (to be critical of your strategy ideas) but deep in a skill
relevant to what they will be responsible for."
- Chris Waldron, TakeLessons.com
7)
"You should give your ten slides in twenty minutes. Sure, you have an hour time slot, but you’re using a Windows laptop, so it will take forty minutes to make it work with the projector. Even if setup goes perfectly, people will arrive late and have to leave early. In a perfect world, you give your pitch in twenty minutes, and you have forty minutes left for discussion.
The majority of the presentations that I see have text in a ten point font. As much text as possible is jammed into the slide, and then the presenter reads it. However, as soon as the audience figures out that you’re reading the text, it reads ahead of you because it can read faster than you can speak. The result is that you and the audience are out of synch."
- Guy Kawasaki, AllTop.com
Read more:
"You should give your ten slides in twenty minutes. Sure, you have an hour time slot, but you’re using a Windows laptop, so it will take forty minutes to make it work with the projector. Even if setup goes perfectly, people will arrive late and have to leave early. In a perfect world, you give your pitch in twenty minutes, and you have forty minutes left for discussion.
The majority of the presentations that I see have text in a ten point font. As much text as possible is jammed into the slide, and then the presenter reads it. However, as soon as the audience figures out that you’re reading the text, it reads ahead of you because it can read faster than you can speak. The result is that you and the audience are out of synch."
- Guy Kawasaki, AllTop.com
Read more: