🎙 Inventive Journey | Real Stories From the Startup Survival Club

Priorities change, life is a journey. Find the right framework to help to ask the right questions. I think that is key for any entrepreneur.

Find people that you really trust and partner with them. It's crazy what you can do with other people compared to what you can do alone. It does not matter how smart you are, or think you are. I was so reluctant in the beginning to get on board with an investor and to partner but taking his money and also having him as a permanent consultant to the company and getting his whole life's worth of expertise has just been invaluable.

Learn how to sell. I think a lot of people who want to start businesses focus on a lot of different things but, they don't actually go out and get customers. I think Mark Cuban said that "sales solves all problems" or something like that. I think that is something that is super underrated. People are a little bit thinking we are in the tech world so we are all on the computer, not really talking to people, we are not going to go out and make a sale. That's the life line of the business. If there is no sales, there's is no revenue, there's no business

Meet with 2 new people, 3 new people, 4 new people a week. As many people as you possibly can. I have found that people absolutely love to  support business owners. It's still one of the reasons I think America is such an amazing and great country. Entrepreneurship is such a foundation for what this whole country is built on. To me I have seen so many times someone who just wanted to support me as a young entrepreneur trying to build something. I would encourage anyone who wants to start a business or even just take their career to the next level. Meet new people constantly.

Focus on your customer. A lot of start up business owners my self included like to think about your product and/or service. That is probably the part of your business that you are most passionate about. In my view, the way that you actually make a business succeed is start with your customer. Who are you going to sell to? What are you going to sell? Why would they care? If you can get those first few customers and actually make a sale then you are on your way. Try and resist focusing on your product and service in advance of having any customers.

Show up everyday ready to work. Work hard because you can only be responsible for the effort. The result will take of its self. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon.

I think that having someone that you trust and best friend in a business partner. Someone that compliments you in everything you are maybe not as good at is definitely the biggest assets you can have. If at all possible, having a partner by your side that shares the same values, complimentary skill set, and understands that the journey of starting a business, especially in a different country, is something that requires dedication and the absolute will to succeed.

Definitely those profile pictures. You don't want to have one with you in a group where someone is going to look at it and go ok which one is it. You don't want to have one from your high school/all-star years were you are now 35 and 40 and you don't look the same. You definitely want to make sure that it is you. Also your headline. It's that quick snap this is who I am in a nut shell. It does not have to be so robotic though. I see a lot of them that are like, I have my masters degree in this, its all of these credentials. Don't worry about that they will get your credentials later. Tell them what you do with those credentials.

The first thing you need to do is commit. A lot of people try to figure out things and put the details in place and who is going to do what, where they are going to get the money for this. None of that will happen unless you commit first. The biggest lesson that I learned in my career and starting a business is commitment. That decision has to be made that you are all in. Then everything falls into place after that.

If your just starting out in business there is nothing more valuable, especially in todays market, then to be able to grow your network and be able to find the right people in your network. I think the best piece of advice I have for you is whichever direction you want to be able to go in to, whatever niche you want to go into study that niche. But, give yourself a deadline. Give yourself maybe a couple of weeks, a month max to really get your knowledge up to par were you understand the language, you could hold your own in a conversation. The reason I say a deadline is because you want to get your knowledge up but you also want to be able to take action.