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15.4: Selling U - Inspiration, Resources, and Assistance for Your Entrepreneurial Journey

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    23904
    • Anonymous
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    Learning Objectives
    • Meet some experienced entrepreneurs and learn from their successes and failures.
    • Understand the resources available to help you pursue your entrepreneurial dream.

    Meet Some Entrepreneurs

    This chapter is only the beginning of thinking about selling your idea and yourself. It’s designed to inspire the entrepreneurial spirit in you. Selling U is a resource section for each chapter that provides information about how to use the concepts in “real life.” This chapter is no different. The previous chapter sections of Selling U have included resources to build your personal brand; this chapter includes insights and information about how to apply those concepts to pursue a career in an entrepreneurial environment.

    Hear and read about the success and lessons from some of the best in the business. If experience is the best teacher, these entrepreneurs are excellent professors.

    Business: Gotham Dream Cars
    Entrepreneur: Noah Lehmann-Haupt
    Video:

    How leasing luxury cars became a multimillion-dollar business

    www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/innovation/video/small-business-rules-gotham-dream-cars-small-business-rules

    Business: Jaguar Builders
    Entrepreneur: Sherman “West” Westmoreland
    Article:

    How a quadriplegic became one of Florida’s most successful homebuilders

    findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb4927/is_2_57/ai_n32018572/

    Business: BTTR Ventures (stands for Back to the Roots)
    Entrepreneurs: Nikhil Arora and Alex Velez
    Article:

    Interview with two college seniors started a company to recycle coffee waste

    www.fastcompany.com/blog/tom-musbach /control-your-career-destiny/2-green -entrepreneurs-take-coffee-waste

    Business: Live Green
    Entrepreneur: Steve Ma
    Article:

    How the organization that connects customers with eco-friendly businesses in the Washington, DC, area got started

    findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_7560/is_200907/ ai_n35629263/?tag=content;col1

    Business: Deano’s Italian Grille and Brick Oven Pizza, Smokin’ Lobos Barbecue and Grill, Scoops, downtown lofts, and more
    Entrepreneur: Josh Nichols
    Article:

    How Nichols brought entrepreneurship and urban development to Dublin, Florida.

    www.allbusiness.com/real-estate/commercial-residential-property-property/12346813-1.html

    Business: Chic Gems, Etc.
    Entrepreneur: Sarah Radford
    Article:

    This former top medical sales rep shares how she turned life’s lemons into lemonade by starting her own jewelry design business and her tips for success

    www.toiletpaperentrepreneur.com/blog/ guest-post-from-sales-rep-to-fashion-designer- a-story-about-making-lifes-lemons-into-lemonade- by-sarah-radford-of-chic-gems

    Business: Sweat Fitness Gyms
    Entrepreneur: Scott Caplan
    Video:

    How Sweat Fitness does what it takes to keep memberships during the recession

    www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/money/video/msnbc-whats-the-deal-msnbcs-your-business-small-biz-inspiration

    Business: CaseStack, a logistics outsourcing company
    Entrepreneur: Dan Sanker
    Article:

    A virtual ride-along with Sanker as he talks about how the business got started and the thrills and challenges of being an entrepreneur

    www.e-shadow.com/interview-with-an-entrepreneur- dan-sanker-of-casestack

    Business: Stonyfield Farms, organic yogurt products
    Entrepreneur: Gary Hirshberg
    Video:

    How the company became a 25-year overnight success

    www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/money/video/ make-a-superior-product-ny-times-small-business-summit

    Business: Wish of a Lifetime
    Entrepreneur: Jeremy Bloom
    Article:

    How Bloom started his nonprofit organization for seniors

    sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1164278/index.htm

    Business: Brave Spirits
    Entrepreneur: David Fox
    Videos:

    How Brave Spirits was started

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm-9evHv2wA

    Brave Spirits

    http://www.bravespirits.com

    Video Clip

    Generation Next

    Global entrepreneurs share their advice for the next generation of entrepreneurs.

    www.ey.com/GL/en/Issues/Driving-growth/WEOY-2009---Conversations-with-entrepreneurs---advice-for-future-generations---part-1

    www.ey.com/GL/en/Issues/Driving-growth/WEOY-2009---Conversations-with-entrepreneurs---advice-for-future-generations---part-2

    Video Clip

    Balancing Act

    Restaurateur Tom Colicchio (Top Chef) and Sarah Molten (formerly of Gourmet magazine) discuss the balance between being a CEO and entrepreneur.

    www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/managing/video/ceo-vs-entrepreneur-inside-the-entrepreneurial-mind-series

    Link

    Secrets of Success

    Seven famous entrepreneurs share the secrets of their success…and their mistakes. Wally Amos (Famous Amos Cookie Co.), Daymond John (FUBU), David Liu (The Knot), Jim Koch (The Boston Beer Co.), Liz Lange (Liz Lange Maternity), Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan (Method), and Gary Hirshberg (Stonyfield Farm) share what they learned the hard way in this article that appeared in USA Today.

    www.usatoday.com/money/smAllBusiness/startup/week3-famous-founders.htm

    Link

    Even the Best Fail

    Even Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, has had his share of failures. The article highlights the ten Apple products that didn’t make it.

    http://www.newlaunches.com/archives/top_10_apple_products_which_flopped.php

    Link

    In the Beginning

    Ten great entrepreneurs, including Gordon Segal (Crate and Barrel), Robert Redford (Sundance Institute), Mary Kay Ash (Mary Kay Cosmetics), and Jerry Yang (Yahoo!) talk about their start-up days in this slide show.

    www.inc.com/ss/10-great-entrepreneurs-talk-about-their-start-days#0

    Best in Class

    Want to know the best of everything entrepreneurial? Check out these lists, articles, and slide shows. These are just a few of the many resources available. You may also find it helpful to do a Google search to read about successful entrepreneurs in your city.

    • Top home-based businesses (slide show). www.inc.com/ss/11-businesses-you-can-start-your-pajamas-2009
    • Best industries for starting a business (slide show). www.inc.com/ss/best-industries-for-starting-a-business#0
    • Top green companies (slide show). www.inc.com/ss/2009-inc-500-top-green-companies
    • Top ten Asian-run companies (slide show). www.inc.com/ss/2009-inc-500-top-10-asian-run-companies
    • Top ten Hispanic entrepreneurs of 2009 (article). www.poder360.com/article_detail.php?id_article=2715
    • Top ten black entrepreneurs (slide show). www.inc.com/ss/2009-inc-500-top-10-black-run-companies
    • Top women entrepreneurs in tech (article). www.fastcompany.com/magazine/132/the-most-influential-women-in-technology-the-entrepreneurs.html
    • Top five business books for college entrepreneurs (article). www.college-startup.com/entrepreneur/top-5-business-books-for-college-entrepreneurs

    Entrepreneurial Resources

    No matter what stage you are in your entrepreneurial journey, there are resources to help you get to the next step. Table \(\PageIndex{1}\) includes some of the best places to begin your research.

    Table \(\PageIndex{1}\): Entrepreneurial Resources
    Resource Name and Web Site Description
    Government Resources  

    Small Business Development Centers

    www.sba.gov/aboutsba/sbaprograms/sbdc/

    1,100 branch offices of the Small Business Administration; provide free one-on-one counseling and other resources

    SCORE (Service Corp of Retired Executives)

    www.score.org/index.html

    SBA partner; counselors to America’s small businesses; free one-on-one counseling and other resources

    SCORE Resources for Young Entrepreneurs

    www.score.org/topics/young-entrepreneurs

    Free tools and advice to start your journey

    Small Business Administration

    http://www.sba.gov/

    Free tools and resources for small businesses including online Start-up Assessment Tool

    United States Chamber Small Business Center

    www.uschambersmallbusinessnation.com/toolkits/start-up

    Arm of the United States Chamber of Commerce; comprehensive free resources for small businesses

    Government Resources for Small Businesses

    http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/ mar2009/sb2009032_175015.htm ?chan=smallbiz_smallbiz +index+page_top+small+business+stories

    Free resources from the government to support small businesses
    Trade Journals  

    Inc. magazine

    www.inc.com

    Online articles and hard copy magazine with news, tips, and insights for and about entrepreneurs

    Entrepreneur magazine

    http://www.entrepreneur.com/

    Online articles and hard copy magazine with news, tips, and insights for and about entrepreneurs
    Organizations and Networks  

    Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO)

    www.eonetwork.org/Pages/default.aspx

    Online network and chapters throughout the United States

    Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (CEO)

    www.c-e-o.org

    Online network and chapters throughout the United States

    Entrepreneur America

    http://www.entrepreneur-america.com

    Mentoring services for small businesses and start-ups

    Springboard Enterprises

    https://www.springboardenterprises.org

    National nonprofit dedicated to accelerating women entrepreneurs

    Women Entrepreneurs in Science and Technology (WEST)

    http://www.westorg.org

    Nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurs in science and technology
    International Organizations  

    The Indus Entrepreneurs (TIE)

    www.tie.org

    International nonprofit for the advancement of entrepreneurialism

    International Council for Small Businesses

    http://www.icsb.org

    Advancing entrepreneurship worldwide
    Research and Resources  

    Kauffman Foundation

    http://www.kauffman.org

    Organization to connect entrepreneurs and provide resources

    Global Entrepreneurship Monitor

    http://www.gemconsortium.org

    Organization to connect entrepreneurs and provide resources
    A Few Blogs and Twitter Posts Worth Reading  

    Guy Kawasaki

    http://holykaw.alltop.com/

    twitter.com/GuyKawasaki

    Blog and microblog on entrepreneurial issues, tips, new technology, and more

    Seth Godin

    http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

    Entrepreneurial thoughts of the day

    Michael Simmons

    twitter.com/michaeldsimmons

    http://www.facebook.com/michaeldsimmons#/michaeldsimmons?v=wall

    Part motivation, part entrepreneurial insights

    Start-up Spark

    www.bizzia.com/start-upspark/

    Daily insights on entrepreneurial businesses

    Mark Cuban

    http://blogmaverick.com/

    Entrepreneurial insights from the owner of the Dallas Mavericks
    Books  

    Guy Kawasaki’s books

    www.guykawasaki.com/books/index.shtml

     

    Seth Godin’s books

    www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=seth+godin&x=0&y=0

     

    Jeffrey Gitomer’s books

    www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=jeffrey+gitomer&x=0&y=0

     

    The best business books by entrepreneurs

    www.inc.com/multimedia/slideshows/content/ceo-bookshelf_pagen_1.html

     
    Free and Low-Cost Business Tools and Software  

    10 Free or Cheap Tools for Start-ups

    www.inc.com/ss/10-free-or-cheap-tools-start-ups?nav=mostpopular#0

     

    Great No-Cost Software

    www.inc.com/magazine/20090901/great-no-cost-software.html?nav=mostpopular

     
    Miscellaneous (worth checking out)  

    How-to Guides for Start-ups

    www.inc.com/resources/start-up

     

    E-commerce Starter Kit

    www.inc.com/guides/sales/20696.html

     

    American Express Open

    http://www.openforum.com

    Articles, videos, and forum for and about entrepreneurs

    Don’t stop here! Look up local entrepreneurial organizations and get involved. Meet people, learn the ropes, and share your passion. If you have the entrepreneurial spirit, go for it and enjoy the journey!


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