Jackie Nagel, Synnovatia 
How often have you heard, ‘Have a positive mental attitude, and you’ll succeed’? Well, there’s a lot more than believing you’ll succeed in business, as Carol Dweck, a psychologist at Stanford University, discovered from her research.
runs from May 20 – 26, 2012 and is the perfect time to take stock of your collective achievements as small business owners, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and owners of microenterprises.
With the explosion of social media, it’s easier (and more cost effective) for small business entrepreneurs to gain exposure to their target audience. Have you considered what happens after they “Like” your small business on Facebook?
For many small business entrepreneurs, pricing is one of the most challenging aspects of their business. Properly pricing your services is a bit like the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears – What price is too high? What price is too low? What price is just right?
As a busy entrepreneur, you spend the lion’s share of your day meeting the needs of others. You’re actively tackling the needs of your clients, your employees, your accountant, that weird guy on Linkedin with his connection request….you get the picture. Your day is all about others and their requests. How about you and your business? Did you know that your business has needs, too?
There’s allot of talk about how we ‘set ourselves up for failure’. Whether its self-limiting beliefs, sabotaging behaviors, or an unwillingness to do what it takes, failure lurks around each corner. Even the books, websites, articles, and workshop sharing secrets to business success don’t address the notion of how to set ourselves up for success.
Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. It requires taking calculated risks, learning to live with uncertainty, and hard work, just to mention a few aspects of small business ownership. Yet, over 550,000 businesses are created every month in the US alone. Why the explosive growth? Despite the many challenges of entrepreneurships, the quest for freedom, flexibility, and “being the boss” is more compelling.
An entrepreneur-in-the-making asked how much “time” should be dedicated to growing a smart business. Hmmm, that’s a real thought-tickler. And, one many entrepreneurs ask. Are 40 hours enough? Are 70 hours too many? What is the exact number of hours needed to grow a successful business?