Why a Business Coach Is Every Entrepreneur’s Best Friend

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Business Coach|Why a Business Coach Is Every Entrepreneur’s Best FriendThere are certainly a lot of attractive selling points to starting your own business, including increased freedom, personal fulfillment, and an escape from the traditional nine to five career. However, venturing out on your own also carries its fair share of risk. As a result, there are a few key things you need to know before you start a business. Sometimes, getting all of this information can be tricky and time-consuming. You may find yourself bouncing between websites, reading multiple business books, or attending multiple conferences.

Luckily, there’s a simpler way to gather all the knowledge you need: hiring a business coach. Business coaches help entrepreneurs and business owners clarify the vision of their companies. They aid in setting goals and creating strategies for reaching these objectives. Hiring a business coach is an excellent way to streamline your knowledge acquisition process, among other key benefits. A business coach is every entrepreneur’s best friend when they are preparing to start their business. Here’s why you need to hire a business coach today.

Increased Accountability

When you’re in the early stages of your entrepreneurial journey, it can be tough to hold yourself accountable. Since it’s just you, you might be a little too lenient with yourself if you don’t get certain things done on time.

When you pay to work with a business coach, you want to ensure you get your money’s worth. You also don’t want to feel guilty when your business coach checks in on your progress only to find you haven’t implemented any of the strategies you decided on together. In these two ways, a business coach can be an outstanding accountability tool.

Impartial Third-Party

When you’ve dedicated so much time, effort, and potentially money to your business idea, your perspective can get a little blurred. Similarly, because your business proposal is your passion personified, you’re likely going to be a bit biased and view it favorably – even if there are areas for improvement.

A business coach, on the other hand, is a completely neutral, impartial party. They can take an honest and critical look at your venture and complete a type of SWOT analysis, identifying its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. They can then use their unique position to provide some constructive feedback on how you can strengthen your business idea.

Helping You Stay On the Right Track

Building a business from the ground up is a huge challenge. You need all the guidance and resources you can get to help you steer the path and stay on the right track. A business coach can provide exactly that.

While it’s easy to get distracted or overwhelmed by entrepreneurial opportunities, a business coach can help you stay focused and streamlined in your approach. They can consistently remind you of your company’s vision, its mission, its goals, and its strategies for achieving them. With these helpful reminders, staying on track will be easier than ever.

The future of your business is now. With the help of a seasoned business coach, you can get one step closer to making your business vision a reality. Reclaim control over your future by hiring an experienced business coach to back you and guide you through every step of your entrepreneurial journey.

Essential Tips For First Time Business Owners

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article | Essential Tips For First Time Business OwnersRunning a successful business can be one of the most rewarding endeavors an individual can pursue, both financially but also due to the satisfaction it can bring. With that being said, running a business, be that a small start-up, mid-sized enterprise, or a global brand, managing your business is not easy, especially if you’ve never been in that position before.

Many exciting and budding entrepreneurs see their first-time businesses have to fold year after year, all because they may not have been prepared in some way and, due to that, mismanaged the business. If you find yourself in charge of a business for the first time, here are a few vital tips to ensure that you can excel in the role and grow your business too.

Get An Education

One of the best ways to ensure that you’re prepared for all the different responsibilities involved with running a business is to get an education and understanding of everything you’re expected to do. One of the best ways to do this is through a business degree, as this will give you solid foundations in all departments, such as business analytics, finances, team management, and more.

However, this option might not suit everyone, especially those who have too many responsibilities that they can’t give up to get an education. If that’s the case, the next best thing is to learn as much as you can through online learning and tutorials (LinkedIn Learning and Skillshare is fantastic for this). You can also attend seminars, both in-person and online, and read books from industry experts.


Make Sure Your Business Is Efficient

Time means money within business. This means that if you can perform tasks quickly at a good standard, your business will serve more customers and generate more income. One of the best ways to ensure that your business is prepared and efficient is to invest in automation software. With this type of software, you’ll be able to perform certain tasks quickly, giving you more time to work on other things. Automation software can help with financial management, organize calendars, and so much more. Click here to find out some of the best business software you need.

However, with this emphasis on software and digital solutions, you need to make sure that your IT and computer hardware is up to scratch. Furthermore, as you will be utilizing digital platforms, you need to ensure that you are protected and that your hardware and software are well maintained. This can be hard for a new business to do in-house, which is why it’s a good idea to invest in the small business IT support London companies like Computer Being offer.

Listen From Others

It can be easy, as a new business owner, to dismiss the naysayers and doubters. However, it’s actually a good idea to listen to these concerns if they’re coming from people more experienced than yourself. Understanding why people might not support your business proposal can help you tackle the problem head-on and ensure that your business starts with a more solid foundation.

Furthermore, when you hire your first team members, be sure to listen to them, including their advice, concerns, and ideas. These people will likely grow with you and the business, so it’s a good idea to get their insight, as it can be helpful. There’s nothing wrong with being confident in your abilities. However, you should never dismiss and ignore valid criticism and concerns.

With these tips, you should be more comfortable with the prospect of owning a business and should be in a better position to be successful within it. However, these tips are not the be-all and end-all, and it’s a good habit to continue learning and developing as a business leader, as this will drive you forward and be more successful.

The Future Of Your Business Is Now

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article | The Future Of Your Business Is Now

One of the hardest things any business owner is faced with is the task of keeping their business up to date with all the latest technologies. This doesn’t mean you need to have office chairs that have in-built keyboards and fridges integrated into the armrests or anything. But it does mean you need to be abreast of what technology will help your business boom. It may be that your business isn’t interested in having the latest tablet that has all the design features a graphic artist could possibly want because you own a bakery, or an old school sweetie shop. But there is still software that will make your life easier, and your customer’s experience better.

As such, we have compiled a list of tech that will bring your company up to speed with what is on offer. We will bring your business into the 21st Century.

Accepting Payment

Cash is pretty much a thing of the past. Barely anyone carries cash anymore and certainly not Millenials. It’s all about the card these days. Everyone puts everything on cards. May be it is to do with ease, maybe they don’t see it as departing with cash in the same way handing over notes. Whatever the case, your business needs a credit card reader. In addition to this, it’s all about contactless payments too. The tap and go. The ease of it all. Something that has seen a rise in payments through people smartphones.

Slick Websites

No business can hope to succeed without a slick website. A website is the first impression people will get from your business, whatever that is, because once they hear your name that’s the first thing they’ll do. They’ll check out your website. They may even just stumble across it. As such, you need something that is going to be representative of your brand and provide them with all the information they could possibly want from you. It doesn’t matter if you are a plumber, copywriter, IT support company or into digital learning; a website is your best chance at being found and hired.

Blogging

A website is good, but without a decent SEO strategy you may not get discovered. That’s where blogging comes in. Blogging is the most effective way of improving your hopes of getting found on search engines. The best way to do this is to add links to your other blog posts as well as external sources, while always considering what keywords search engines may pick up on. Another great tactic is to link your blog to your social media pages as well, so that every time you post, your social media gets updated too. This will also improve your chances of being shared online, thus bringing in more viewers. The most epic thing that could happen on this front is for something of yours to go viral. How incredible would it be to wake up one day and see that 100,000 people ha liked a blog post that links back to your website and thus your business. Amazing.

How You Can Make Money From Your Love Of Travel

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Love of Travel|How You Can Make Money From Your Love Of TravelImagine how amazing it would be to get paid to travel or share your love of travel by assisting others with their trips. The Internet and digital technologies have made it possible to build a business around your lifestyle, including travel, from anywhere you can get online.

So, pack your belongings and set out into the sunset with these ways of making money from your love of travel.

Become a travel photographer

You do not need to be the next David Bailey to make money with travel photography these days. As long as you have a good eye and an interest in photography, you can probably make some money. Even with a decent smartphone, you can capture professional images suitable for online sales. There are even stock photography firms that specialize in smartphone photography. There are numerous ways to monetize your travel photographs, including:

  • Offering your photography services in a variety of locations. A private vacation photographer is a highly sought-after service.
  • Selling travel image downloads or licensing them for use directly from your website.
  • Selling images to stock photo agencies such as Adobe Stock or Getty Images. It is a good idea to look at their sites to see what kind of imagery sells well and use that as a benchmark.

Develop language courses and tutorials

For a long time, teaching English as a second language has been a popular way to earn money while traveling. It is an industry that has not only withstood the test of time but also continues to thrive. The internet’s brilliance is that courses can be taught online to students all over the world. You can not only offer live online classes, but you can also provide language practice and video tutorials on your website. You might even have other languages in addition to English that you could teach to ex-pats in a particular location.

For example, let’s assume that you are visiting France, and are already fluent in the language. It is somewhere that you love, so you decided to stay there for a while. It is a great opportunity to not only explore the area and immerse yourself thoroughly in the culture but also enable you to make connections with the local ex-pat community. You could offer classes in conversational language while you are there, allowing you to earn some money. Many ex-pats are not just looking to learn in a formal sense, but want to develop their conversational skills.

Social media is an excellent tool for connecting with locals and offering your services. You can continue to provide your services after you leave by offering online classes, practice videos, and virtual social gatherings.

Sell travel-related products

Because you enjoy traveling, one of the best ways to profit from your hobby is to sell items that make travel more convenient for the traveler. Dropshipping is one of the simplest ways for the traveler to accomplish this. You might want to narrow your focus and decide on the type of traveler you want to target. Once you have determined your market, select products that meet their travel requirements.

While there are many different types of travelers, they can generally be divided into three categories: business travel, leisure travel, and adventure travel. Full-time travelers have created their own culture and often have their own ways of doing things. You could sell neck pillows for airplanes, suitcase organizers, travel laptop cases, and other items to business and leisure travelers. Backpacks, head torches, and hiking boots are common items for adventurers.

The greatest feature about this particular travel commercial venture is that dropshipping allows you to sell products without having to physically have them, allowing you to continue with your own travel adventures and dealing with orders from your smartphone or internet device. Dropshipping companies will ship your products to your customers directly. All you need to do is promote them online.

Become a travel agent or consultant

Over the last few years, major travel agencies have struggled to keep their heads above the water, especially given the COVID-19 pandemic. However, that does not mean there are not customers out there who could use some assistance in planning their vacations and finding the best deals. If you are a seasoned traveler, you are likely to have some valuable knowledge to share with other travelers. As a result, you could offer those services as a travel consultant. Alternatively, train as an independent travel agent and make money by booking travel for people. Your own personal recommendations and advice will be a valuable asset.

Become a translator

You might be able to start a business as a translator if you have had the opportunity to travel to different countries and learn other languages. In a variety of languages, you can translate anything from books to documents. And that is often something you can do remotely, allowing you to work from anywhere.

Look at public speaking gigs

If you have valuable expertise in a particular field and the ability to share that expertise at various conferences and events, public speaking can be a lucrative job. You can offer your speaking services to people all over the world and then use those encounters to travel to new and exciting places.

Start a travel blog

If you want to be a travel blogger, having a passion for travel is a must. You can start your own blog about all of your travel adventures or put together guides and tips based on your experiences to start a travel blogging business.

Become a freelance travel writer

Travel writing and blogging are alike in many aspects. The distinction is that in travel writing, your articles are sold to another magazine or blog. There are numerous magazines, both online and offline, that will not only pay for your piece but may even cover the cost of your trip. In addition, some publishers hire writers to write travel books. The most difficult aspect of becoming a freelance travel writer is finding work. Because this job, like most freelance writing jobs, has peaks and troughs, you may well have to adjust to a feast or famine lifestyle. In addition, you must follow the wishes of the editors, which may differ from your own.

Work on a cruise ship

Working on a cruise ship is a dream job for anyone who enjoys traveling. You make a living by traveling the world while receiving free food and lodging. There are opportunities for people of all backgrounds to work on one of these floating resorts, whether you work in the restaurants, a shop assistant, a cleaner, or a performer in the cruise’s entertainment squad. It is a great way to see lots of the world, get paid, make friends and have lots of fun.

Become a tour guide

You should live in or near a tourist destination if you want to work as a tour guide from home. However, your tour service does not have to be limited to history. Ghost tours are available in many historic towns. Alternatively, if you have beautiful outdoor areas, you can organize spectacular scenery hikes or bird tours. Food tours can be organized if you know the best places to eat.

Set up online courses

You can use the internet to teach people almost anything anywhere. You can create online courses in departments such as business and social media. You could also get more specific and teach people how to save money on travel. Even if your chosen topic has nothing to do with travel, you can set up and manage your online courses from virtually anywhere that you can get an internet connection.

House or pet sitting

Many people would rather have someone look after their homes or pets while they are away. So, if you want to travel while earning money, you could offer your services as a housesitter in all of the places you want to visit.

Online freelancing

Do you want to live as a digital nomad, traveling around the world and working? It is much easier than you think, kudos to freelancing systems like Upwork, People Per Hour, and Fiverr, where you can apply for jobs from clients across the globe. All you need to start is a provable skill in a coveted area. Winning projects can be difficult, especially if you do not have a solid history, but after a few jobs and positive reviews on your profile, you should be able to find a continuous trickle of work. Web design and development, internet research, data entry, graphic design, content writing, and translation and editing are some of the most financially rewarding freelancing fields.

As you can see, there are plenty of ways that you can make money and capitalize on your love of travel. A sense of adventure, the wherewithal to take risks, and an internet connection can mean the world is quite literally your oyster.

Do you have any ideas to add to this list?

Rookie Mistakes Every Entrepreneur Should Avoid

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Entrepreneur Mistakes|Rookie Mistakes Every Entrepreneur Should AvoidIf running your own business is your ultimate career dream, then enhancing your entrepreneurial skills should be a top priority. In many ways, it’s easier than ever to set yourself up as an entrepreneur, but this doesn’t mean that success naturally follows. If you want to succeed as a business owner, it’s important to know how to launch a start-up, secure investors, and develop a brand.

However, it’s equally important to know what not to do! With this in mind, take a look at these three rookie mistakes every entrepreneur should avoid and start building your business now:

Not Managing Your Reputation

As an entrepreneur, your personal brand has a significant impact on your commercial success. After all, you aren’t just building a business; you’re establishing yourself as a thought leader and industry guru too. Due to this, you need to be acutely aware of your personal brand and manage your reputation accordingly.

In today’s online world, everyone has an online reputation, but few people actively manage it. By ignoring your digital reputation, however, you could be harming your future career prospects. Conversely, taking steps to implement a reputation management strategy with specialists like Reputation Defender allows you to take control and nurture a positive reputation that will help you to succeed.

Working Too Hard

Entrepreneurs are known for their work ethic, and you’ll often hear of business owners who spend 16-18 hours working every day. However, working too hard can be extremely damaging to your health and, ultimately, to your business as well. While there’s no doubt that you’ll need to put the effort in if you want to be a leading entrepreneur, it’s essential to find a work-life balance.

By using time management strategies to maximize your output, prioritizing downtime, and making time for other interests and hobbies, you can ensure that your entrepreneurial interests don’t take over your life. As a result, you’ll protect your physical and emotional well-being and even enhance your commercial performance.

Moving Too Fast

When you have a great idea for a new business, you’ll want to get it up and running as quickly as possible. After all, it’s important to strike while the iron’s hot and launch your brand before competitors have a similar idea. Although timing is critical to success, moving too fast and launching a business before it’s ready can have disastrous consequences.

Without the right team in place, you might struggle to deliver the service that your customers expect, for example. If you don’t have sufficient funding, you may be unable to fund your operations. Similarly, a lack of marketing can make it hard to engage with your target audience. There are numerous different aspects to consider when launching a business, so take your time to get things right if you want to reap the benefits.

Becoming a Successful Entrepreneur

It’s easy to assume that all entrepreneurs are overnight success stories, but the reality is very different. In most cases, people work diligently for years to develop their skills as a business owner, so don’t panic if it takes some time for you to achieve the same. With hard work and dedication, however, you can increase your profile, achieve commercial success and establish yourself as a successful entrepreneur.