The Perfect Hire Checklist
21 Jul
Business Coach, Entrepreneurship, Grow Your Expertise, Interview

The Perfect Hire Checklist

After weeks or even months of searching for someone to fill your business’s open position, you finally did it: you found the perfect hire. Your company’s hiring managers deserve a sigh of relief–but the journey isn’t over yet. 

Statistically speaking, 31% of new hires will quit a new job within the first 6 months simply because of a poor onboarding experience. In today’s market, your business can’t afford to NOT have an efficient, well-thought-out onboarding process that will ensure the security of your new hire. 

Read on for Allison Todd’s perfect hire checklist.

What is a New Hire Checklist?

A new hire checklist is what the best companies employ to ensure their new hire’s first days, weeks, and months go smoothly. It’s a designated list of activities and tasks that an HR manager should complete before and after a new employee joins your company. 

Following this checklist ensures a smooth merger between your business and the new hire, which will generally result in a long-term relationship between the two–barring any other complications. 

These checklists are a wonderful, dynamic tool that helps every new employee settle into their new work environment–and they’re important for HR managers as well. 

Companies are incredibly complex these days, and checklists ensure that nothing slips through the cracks–you don’t want your new employee wandering around the office on their first day, unsure of what to do or where the bathroom even is. Checklists also ensure that every member of your new hire’s team has had the same onboarding experience, this way everyone they’ll be working with is on the same page.

New Hire Checklist

Let’s be honest–hiring a new employee isn’t cheap, and it’s especially difficult if you’re a small business competing with larger corporations who have much deeper budgetary pockets. Between recruiting fees and advertising for candidates amongst all else, a company can’t afford to lose a new hire within the first few months. 

Yes–some employees will leave because the company may just not be a good fit for them, but you can do your best to make sure that the atmosphere of your office is warm, welcoming, and ready for your new hire.

Some of these steps may differ depending on your company’s rules and regulations, but the general checklist should go as such

1. The first step is to submit a job requisition form to your HR department to make the hire official.

2. Then you should complete a background check and father other important documents from the employee, such as direct deposit forms, I-9 information, W-5 information and others.

3. Next, review the basic schedule and duties of their new role: this helps set expectations for both you and your new hire. 

4. After your new hire reviews their role, the next step is to give them a tour of your facilities. This should include where the bathrooms are, the kitchen, their office, and other places that they’ll be using.

5. Introducing them to their new team members should follow.

6. The next step should be ensuring that their work station is completely set up for them, and they have all of the necessary tools for their role, including badges, office supplies and more. 

7. Next begins the actual training process, this can take a couple days, weeks, or even months. Make sure to be clear about their duties and check in for feedback–making your new hire feel heard can help them feel welcome. 

Takeaways

At the end of the day, a new hire may not stick around–that’s the job market these days. There’s opportunity behind every door, and candidates are lucky to have many choices to pick from. However, to keep your business’s competitive edge in the face of all these choices, employing a perfect hire checklist can instill confidence in any new employee that your business is right for them. 

What Leader Style Are You?
01 Jun
Grow Your Expertise, Inspiration, Team Management

What Leader Style Are You?

If you’re ready to lead your business and team to success, it’s essential to identify what type of leader you are. Do you lead by experience? Use tough love? Or lead through inspiring words? Whether you’re an established leader or new to the position, understanding the top four styles of leadership types will help you pick up some tips and lead with confidence. You can then mix and match qualities to develop your unique leading style.

What Leader Style Are You?

The Four Styles of Leaders

Use this guide of the four most powerful leader types to determine which type of leader you are and collect new techniques for leading your team to success.

Inspirational Leader

The inspirational leader doesn’t just use inspirational quotes to motivate their team, and they help team members grow by fostering confidence and passion with them. They are optimistic, compassionate, motivating, and not afraid to take risks. Occasionally, their attempts to motivate their staff might appear too complacent. Although inspirational leaders bring cheer to the workplace, they tread a fine line between cheerleader and leader.  

Authoritative Leader

This type of leader is the manager who declares, “I’m not a follower, I’m a leader.” They create their own life path and lead with big results and goals in mind. They are known to follow the rules and create highly structured workplace environments guaranteed to promote productivity.  Occasionally, these types of leaders can feel compelled to make all business decisions on their own without employee input. They can have trouble delegating.

Minimally Involved Leader

The minimally involved leader, also referred to as Laissez-Faire, is one that only gets involved in the team dynamic when necessary. They don’t put many rules in place and rarely enforce penalties unless extremely necessary. These leaders ensure that the business and team’s overall function runs smoothly but does little to motivate or guide employees. With limited check-ins, reviews, or progress reports, team members may not understand what is expected of them and likely don’t perform up to their greatest potential.

Coaching Leader

The Coach knows each of their team members top to bottom and can easily identify everyone’s strengths and weaknesses. They motivate team members to improve their skills and create personal goals as well as professional ones. Coaching leaders lead through education, guidance, and support. They promote confidence within their team and often lead through example. This leader style is incredibly powerful and effective but is also challenging to master without help.

Develop Your Unique Leadership Style

After understanding the most common leadership styles seen today, you may have an idea of which category you fall into. If you’re unhappy with your result, you have the ability to modify and adapt your leading techniques to develop your own unique style. Discover what you look for in leaders and imagine the leader you hope to become. If you need support in developing your leadership style, development and business solutions can help. Find out how I can help transform you into a successful leader.

If you want to learn more on how to become the best leader, read the additional article below:

How Bad Manager Prepared Me For Entrepreneurship

How To Be an Excellent Leader of an Excellent Team

The Dynamics of a Discovery Call
14 May
Entrepreneurship, Grow Your Business, Grow Your Expertise, Marketing

The Dynamics of a Discovery Call: It All Begins with Hello

Discovery calls are an essential part of any entrepreneur’s life. From flooring companies, to financial planners, to paper-sellers, discovery calls are what stands between a company and a potential client–and, oftentimes, a failed discovery call was usually preventable with a couple of conversational tweaks. 

Being able to persuade a prospective client into believing your company holds the solutions for their problems is a skill honed over time through experience and practice. However, in the business world time equals cash, so I’ve dissected the ins and outs of the perfect discovery call so you can stop making mistakes and start making money.

Before You Pick Up The Phone

The title of this blog post is a little misleading–it doesn’t begin with a hello, it begins with research. Before you even get on the horn with your potential client conduct a google search into their online presence. See what you can dig up about their company and any potential issues that your products and services may be able to solve. 

By conducting this initial research, and then using it to inform your conversation you’re accomplishing two things:

  • Proving to the client you care.
  • Establishing yourself as a meritable partner. 

Before your call outline pertinent info for you to mention during your conversation, and leave room to write down more notes as they come up.

ACE Your Opener

After saying hello, follow these steps to show your client that this conversation is about them:

  • A: state to the customer that you appreciate them taking the time to speak with you
  • C: check that the allotted time you had scheduled still works for them
  • E: establish an end goal for the discovery call 

This opener allows the customer to feel in control and communicates to them that they’re not just going to hear another sales pitch–this conversation will suss out if you two are a match for each other. 

Establish the Reasons Behind your Call

Next, you should discuss with your client what they want to get out of today’s meeting–and make sure to write down and address their top priorities before the end of the call.

Discuss your clients goals for their company and if they don’t have any, create some with them! Ask where they want their company to be in five years, then ten, and have a conversation about how your product or service can help them get there. 

Have a Conversation with Active Listening

The biggest mistake people make during a sales call is making it a sales call. The best calls are when you’re mostly asking questions and listening to the answers. Some great questions to ask include ones about their situation, identifying any pain points, and discussing what they would like your impact to be. 

Remember to summarize their answers before moving forward and remember that the call is not about you–the client should already know about you and your services. This call is meant to help you get to know the client and then discuss how your solutions can help them. 

Wrapping Up the Phone Call

When you’re ready to wrap up the conversation, this is a good time to highlight any potential solutions you’ve come up with throughout the call. You can make references to other cases you’ve worked on, since having worked with their peers is a great way to establish their merit. 

Being able to persuade a prospective client into believing your company holds the solutions for their problems is a skill honed over time through experience and practice. However, in the business world time equals cash– utilize these tips so you can stop making mistakes and start making money.

The Dynamics of a Discovery Call
Is Pinterest A Hidden Gem in Digital Marketing?
07 Apr
Digital Marketing, Grow Your Business, Grow Your Expertise, Marketing, Social Media

Is Pinterest A Hidden Gem in Digital Marketing?

People rely on their visuals when buying something. We scrutinize each merchandise we plan on buying and, even more so, when we do shopping online. A pair of shoes, for instance, must be carefully zoomed in to see up close the design, the stitching, the sole, the insole, and so on.

Yes, we rely on pictures and not necessarily descriptive words; This is why Pinterest has continually gain footing in the realm of e-commerce.

Pinterest for Business

As of this writing, Pinterest has over 100 million active subscribers. More than half of these are millennials and are women. In the past two years or so, the male population using this social media platform has risen to almost 120%. Nearly 70% of the pinners come from the business sectors showcasing widely diversified products from mason jars to fashion finds, appliances, and all other sorts of merchandise you need.

Yes, if you are handling a small business and rely primarily on online sales, the Pinterest social media platform for business is a great way to showcase your product, brand, or services. This highly visual platform will provide more insights into your target market in more ways than you can imagine.

Some of its advantages are:

Search Engine Visibility

Unlike before, wherein keywords on pictures don’t make sense, today’s search engine crawlers also detect tags. Add to that the keywords used on each board and pin you have, giving access to potential buyers looking online for the right product or service such as yours. Pinterest had also started using hashtags as search engines also crawl the net for those nowadays.

Free Marketing

Pinterest is for free and is relatively easiest to do. Once you have set up a business account, take a picture of your merchandise. Pin it to your board. Add relevant content complete with keywords or hashtags, and you’re good to go.

Pinners can now pin it on their boards and share it with their friends and connections, too. Some may even copy the link and share on other social media platform to widen the clout.

Amplify Exposure

Having a website is good, but if you want to expand your exposure, consider investing time and effort in this free platform.

Not only does Pinterest have millions of subscribers at your fingertips, but it also allows you to showcase your wares in a more visually pleasing form. As mentioned, it can be shared across other social media platforms aside from Pinterest, too.

Longevity.

Images posted on Pinterest stay on track as long as it is relevant when searching. Even if you posted it months ago, an appealing image filled with equally SEO-savvy keywords and tags would still get the same level of visibility when you posted initially.

Improved Traffic

Driving traffic to your website is also made possible by Pinterest. With its hover button, a pinner can easily click on a direct link to your website. From there, they can look for other pictures and posts to re-pin on their boards.

Conclusion

Indeed, there is more to Pinterest than just a mere platform where images are shared. It can do so much to increase your online presence. Besides, what have you got to lose when it’s for free?

If you love this article you’ll surely enjoy this:

How to Use Social Media for Small Business

Social Media Business: Best TImes to Post

Struggling in CEO Role
07 Apr
Confidence Culture, Entrepreneurship, Grow Your Business, Grow Your Expertise

Good Entrepreneur but a Bad CEO? Here are 5 Reasons You’re Struggling to Step into the CEO Role

As an entrepreneur, you’re creative; you’re innovative, you’re passionate. You take risks, chances, and you’re not afraid to fail. Your social skills are probably better than most other people you know.

But, a great entrepreneur doesn’t automatically equal a successful CEO. 

5 Reasons You’re Struggling as the CEO

Are you a great idea person but unsure about your role as the CEO? Here are five reasons you might find yourself struggling to step into a leadership position.

You Want to Be Overly Involved

Sounds counterintuitive, right? As an entrepreneur, it’s understandable that you want immersion in all of your business’s goings. Still, too much involvement prevents you from fully thriving in your zone of genius and stifles your team.

A good CEO knows how to let their team handle their tasks without micromanaging. Yes, you need to be kept in the know, keep track of your company’s successes and setbacks, and coach your team to the win, but a good CEO knows when — and how — to delegate.

You Don’t Know How to Hire the Right People.

You’ve got the entrepreneurial spirit. You are likely energized by those who are enthusiastic about your business as you are. But, enthusiasm doesn’t necessarily mean a qualified hire.

The most successful CEOs approach hiring their team like playing a chess game: strategically evaluating how each piece could lead to a win.

You Have a 10 Year Plan

Hear this one out. 

It’s crucial to have goals in mind and success on the horizon, but a good CEO knows that being rigidly dedicated to a plan leads to failure. You don’t know what your industry, the market, and your own life will hold in the next ten years.

A CEO destined for success knows how to plan for the future but is adept enough at business to pivot and prevail, no matter what comes.

Your Social Skills Are Fantastic, But Not Your Communication Skills

Entrepreneurs are a creative, intelligent, and inventive bunch, and people are drawn to this type of charisma. But good social skills don’t mean being a great communicator. 

Creative people often spend so much time thinking, creating and being inside their minds that the communication of their ideas and how they want them executed can be lost in translation. The strongest CEOs know when it’s time to hire a business consultant to develop the skills needed to communicate effectively and clearly with their teams.

You Have the Vision, But Not the Strategy

Goals are where you want to be, but the strategy is how you get there. 

You know that being a business owner involves taking some risks, — and maybe breaking some rules — along the way. But, if you don’t have a laser-focused strategy, you’re going to be stuck in the fog somewhere between success and stagnation.

With clarity, intention, and purpose, an entrepreneur can transform into a good CEO. Sometimes, it just takes help from a third-party perspective.

You Can Learn What it Takes to Succeed as a CEO

Coach Allison Todd is the warrior spirit on the front lines with you and the voice that tells you that you can do it. With clarity, a water-tight team, and a dynamic strategy, you can gain the skills and confidence you need to elevate your entrepreneurship into full-on CEO.

blogging benefits
14 Feb
Entrepreneurship, Grow Your Business, Grow Your Expertise

How To Use Blogging To Get More Clients

Blogging is a great way to attract new clients. You can write about topics you know well and show your expertise, which will tell potential clients that you have the solutions to their problems.

The only problem is that blogging requires constant content creation and you need a never-ending supply of topics to blog about. 

The best way to manage this is to keep an ongoing ideas list. Add ideas to this list and refer to it when it’s time to start writing.

You should also create a list of great sources for ideas. When your ideas list runs low, refer to this and go where you need to get new ideas.

The internet offers a wealth of places to get ideas. 

Look at social media and see what topics people are discussing and what questions they’re asking. Answer these questions with a blog post.

Question and answer sites and online forums are also great places to find out what questions people are asking.

You can also think of things you’ve helped people with before. In what areas has your expertise helped others?

Look at emails you’ve received from clients with requests for help. 

Keyword research can also reveal good topics to blog about. Use a free keyword tool to find out what’s trending in your industry right now.

You can do similar research on social media sites like Twitter by searching for hashtags related to your niche.

Look at other content creators and news sites in your niche. Don’t steal their ideas, but see if there are any unique angles you can take on their topics. 

Sometimes you can get ideas from your old content. Go back and see if there’s anything you can update, expand on, or go deeper into. Especially look at topics that performed well in the past.

Once you start looking, your ideas list will grow faster than you can write. This is how you keep a constant stream of blog content coming.

How To Use Blogging To Get More Clients

Make Blog more Readable
10 Feb
Digital Marketing, Grow Your Expertise

Does Your Blog Website Connect To Your Readers?

Are your blogs connecting with your readers? Do you even know what draws your audience to read lengthy write-ups or that there are specific patterns online readers do in scanning websites? Some website managers even have eye-tracking tests and click measurement mechanisms to measure their websites’ effectiveness. 

A website’s blog section often gets the most hits with regards to traffic. For people to get engaged to your website, regularly posting relevant blogs or write-ups will significantly help. But what are known facts that lead them to be more attentive to what you post?

Static Website Facts

Each person has a unique way of seeing your website. The type of font and size, for instance, held more importance than pictures to others, particularly on information-based websites. Images can sometimes take time to load and this lowers launching ability of websites. 

So steer clear of fancy fonts and pictures that take a lot of time to load. Readers are also not into banners, pop-ups, and other ad placements; this comes as no surprise. The fewer distractions often deliver the best attention.

Take note also of how people scan your website. Readers often start reading from the top left corner. So make sure to place vital information on that side of the screen.

As much as possible, write in short paragraphs, bullet form, lists, or summarized arrangement; This helps readers to collect information without delay easily. 

Most importantly, headlines must be catchy and compelling for readers actually to click on them.

Does Your Blog Website Connect To Your Readers?
Social Media Best Time To Post

Mobile Blogs

Another critical aspect in blog writing for websites is mobile reception. With more than half of online users depending on their smartphones, tablets, notebooks, and laptops, designing a mobile blog site has become necessary to many website owners. Most, if not all, websites today are “mobile-friendly.”; Which means publishers can scale them to any mobile platform. 

Businesses develop apps to address this concern allowing readers to easily click on an icon that automatically draws them to the site instead of typing the whole URL into a browser. 

It may even be programmed to come up with notifications should new write-ups are posted.

The key takeaways in designing a mobile blog site are speed and accuracy. In this day and age, when people want everything fast and can easily verify facts, these two always stand out when designing blog sites. 

Still, readers, attention is often focused on the top left corner of their gadget’s screen, with most of its focus on the two-thirds portion of the screen.

When designing the page or when writing, always remember to place the main idea on top. Content must be short and concise. No ifs, no buts. Mobile users don’t want to scroll up and down tons of paragraphs. Keep your words minimal yet on the point. Avoid beating around the bush. Go direct to the point and be done with it.

Unlike static website readers, mobile audiences prefer visuals rather than text. Infomercials and infographics, for instance, are widely revered in the mobile arena.

Do make sure that visuals used are relevant to your content, and be wary of IP legalities before posting. As always, headlines must still be catchy. It must ignite a reader’s sense to read and know more about what you’re writing– making them come back for more.

Does Your Blog Website Connect To Your Readers?

Conclusion

Some of the points being discussed above may be downright elementary. However, a good reminder can jolt us back to reality. The next time you write an awe-inspiring piece for your website, consider these pointers to make your blog site count.

scaling your business
18 Jan
Grow Your Expertise, Team Management

How to Be an Excellent Leader of an Excellent Team

There are numerous aspects to building and developing a team. However, the success or failure of your team is heavily reliant on your leadership skills. It is not enough to get the most skilled people in various fields. Without proper leadership and human resource management skills, you might end up wasting your team’s talent.

The team should be greater than the sum of all its members. There are many benefits in synergy, division of labor, specialization, and good old teamwork. However, these benefits would be unattainable if you are a terrible leader.

As an entrepreneur leading your team is part of the job; However, the fact that you are the de facto manager and boss doesn’t mean you should take the job for granted. As a leader, you must make serious efforts to manage the talents and skills of every member of your team.

How to be an excellent leader

How to Be an Excellent Leader of an Excellent Team

Here are a few tips on how to be a good team leader.

1.     Be a good listener

A true leader is someone that listens to more and talks less. He is garnering information from the great minds he has gathered around himself. Therefore a good leader makes informed decisions at all times. He isn’t harmful or argumentative but positive and patient. Teammates find it easy to make their opinions and suggestions known to a good leader. A good leader understands the value and importance of every member of the team. You don’t know everything, therefore do not hesitate to learn from the views and perspectives of your team.

2. Generals aren’t the best soldiers, but the best leaders

A good leader surrounds himself with people smarter and more skilled. A general doesn’t recruit weak soldiers to stroke his ego. A good leader employs talented people who would perform their given roles excellently. It is best to hire people who are better at doing one aspect of your business than every other team member. Synergy is achieved when you employ a wide range of talents that fit and work well together.

3. Be a source of inspiration

Another tip on being a good leader is to be a source of inspiration. Sometimes it is not all about money and benefits. As a team leader, you must paint a vivid picture of your business’s future and how your employees fit in. The best employees are those who have seen their goals and objectives and are focused on achieving it. Inspired employees are the best and most driven teammates.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a team must be made up of the right parts that fit together and an excellent leader. The combination of skill, synergy, and leadership is what would make your team productive and your business successful.

how to monetize your expertise
09 Dec
Entrepreneurship, Grow Your Expertise

5 Ways to Monetize your Expertise

A company works by buying skills and expertise and transforming it into a finished product; This translates to hiring employees and utilizing their labor to produce goods and services. 

However, the soul-crushing venture of climbing the corporate ladder isn’t for everyone. 

There is a massive increase in the number of people who want to enjoy financial freedom while still controlling their time and life.

A few decades ago, this was nothing more than a dream or a fairytale. However, today the story has changed. 

Ways to Monetize your Expertise

There are numerous avenues for you to cut past the corporate world and monetize your skills. Here are a few income streams that you might find convenient.

5 Ways to Monetize your Expertise

1. Writing for online publications

With many websites fueling the beautiful world of the internet comes a high demand for quality content. Writing for online publications is one easy way to share your wealth of knowledge with the world. 

We are in the information age, and your knowledge is worth a lot more than you think. Writing for online publications is the easiest method to monetizing your expertise. 

It doesn’t require a complicated process, and there are little or no barriers to entry. If you are skilled and you have excellent content to deliver, then you can start earning. It’s that simple.

2. Publishing a book

Before now, you being an author, required years and years of dedication, sweat, and ink. However, with the internet taking the world of reading by storm, all that has changed. 

Gone are the days of spending years on a manuscript and another couple of years hoping and lobbying for a big deal. Being an author still requires dedication and intelligence, but you don’t have to lobby and pray for a book deal anymore. 

With platforms like Amazon offering free publishing, you can write your book and start earning immediately after launch. Writing and self-publishing is a very lucrative way to monetize your expertise while still retaining your work and brainchildren’s rights.

3. Public Speaking

Perhaps being hunched behind a system and writing articles and books feels a lot like the corporate world you are trying to escape. Not everyone is cut-out to be a writer. Another way to share your knowledge and content with the world is public speaking. 

You might not be a writer, but if you find yourself an excellent speaker, public speaking is a path you must consider exploring. Be it informative, motivational, or political, find the niche that works best with your style and expertise, and grow from there.

4. Online Courses

If you want to do more than share information, you can go the extra mile to impart knowledge. The future of learning isn’t in brick and mortar classrooms. The future of education is on the internet. 

Online courses are slowly becoming people’s preferred way to learn. Rather than waiting to be hired by that university or that high school and find yourself in the rat race, why not teach an online course.

Either on your platform or other available platforms. Delivering online classes to a broad range of students worldwide is one easy and convenient way to make money and monetize your expertise.

5. Consulting

Although this is very similar to having a regular job, it affords you a lot of freedom. When your survival isn’t tied to one boss or one company, you get to dictate your service terms. 

Working as a consultant can be very satisfying and fulfilling. As a consultant, you get to control your time, your earnings as well as your portfolio. Working as a consultant gives you the freedom of an entrepreneur without the need for massive managerial and executive expertise.

Conclusion

These are some of the few ways you can monetize your expertise. There are other money-making avenues not mentioned here that you might find more applicable to your skill and expertise. However, the key is to choose a path that suits you best.

For maximum earnings and freedom, a combination of two or more of these income streams is most advisable, especially during the early stages of your freedom from the rat race.

Exploration is the best way to find what you do best. You also don’t want to be too dependent on one income stream as that would take away from the freedom you so rightly cherish.

Position to Profit Membership

Entrepreneurship is hard but you don’t have to do it alone. Members learns about the Scale to Profit System, business development, business operations, sales techniques, building the perfect team.

being your own boss
30 Nov
Entrepreneurship, Grow Your Business, Grow Your Expertise

The Good, The Bad, and The Profit of Being Your Own Boss

Being an entrepreneur has its pros and cons. Running a business and being your boss sure has its benefits. However, roses have thorns. A proper understanding of an entrepreneur’s life would help you prepare for the positive and negative aspects of running a business.

While running a business affords you a sense of happiness and fulfillment, stress and pressure are also significant parts of the package. It’s a packaged deal of freedom and control, mixed with long hours and compulsory dedication.

Benefits of being an Entrepreneur

You are the boss

Being the boss is a rather obvious benefit of being an entrepreneur. It is one of the primary reasons why being an entrepreneur is so fulfilling and attractive. You are in control, the captain of the ship calling the shots and making things happen. 

Your thoughts and decisions make real impacts. It is way better than submitting suggestions to a middle manager who ignores them or takes credit for them. Every move you make affects real impact and change. 

You are in charge of your earning and finances

Another significant advantage of being an entrepreneur is that you determine how much you earn. You have the power to improve your earnings. How much you make isn’t left to the mercy of your boss or some obscure company policy. 

How much you make is based on the effort you put into your business and how much you decide to pay yourself. Of course, you must be careful not to suck your business dry. Nevertheless, financial independence is a major source of joy for all entrepreneurs.

Flexible working hours

Another major advantage of being your boss is flexible working hours. You get to decide when and how long you work. You can organize your schedule so you work at the time you are most effective. For instance, if you are a night owl, you can manage your schedule to sleep during the day and work through the night; This is impossible in a corporate 9-5 job.

Flexible working condition

As an entrepreneur, you get to determine and influence the environment in which you work; This ranges from equipment, co-workers, furniture, office location, etc. You get to create the perfect conditions for you and your business to grow by surrounding yourself with the right people and the right ambiance.

Job security

Being an entrepreneur means you can’t get fired. The fear and pressure of getting that threatening letter from your boss don’t exist. Your drive to work hard is based purely on achieving your goal and taking your business to the highest peak possible. Your motivation is positive enthusiasm to meet your full potential.

The joy of building something real

The joy of creating and nurturing a business is so overwhelming and fulfilling. Building your business from the ground up brick by brick, client by client, project by project, and sale by sale is bound to fill you with a sense of achievement. There is a special and joyous pride that comes with being the owner and builder of a successful business. That feeling is worth more than silver or gold.

The good, the bad and the profit of being your own boss.

Cons of Being an Entrepreneur

Your clients and team are your employers

As an entrepreneur, you are your boss. However, you are still accountable for a lot of people. You are responsible for your clients and customers. In many ways, you are responsible for your teammates whose careers are in your hands. If you want to run a successful business and lead an efficient team, you have to relate with everyone with guided respect and care. To be a good entrepreneur, you have to be answerable to your clients, customers, and employees. Treating them with respect and thriving for their joy and satisfaction is a necessary ingredient for success.

Long hours, pressure, and stress

Being an entrepreneur requires impossible hours. Sometimes you had wished there were more than twenty-four hours in a day. Success in entrepreneurship usually requires dedication, consistency, and determination. Everything hangs on your shoulders. There is no pressure or fear of getting fired. However, the task of keeping your business running and growing is enough to keep you busy and under intense pressure.

Financial insecurity

One secret that most people tend to miss is that with financial independence comes financial insecurity. Earning a salary gives you a steady stream of income, making it easy for you to plan for the future. However, as an entrepreneur, your rating is reliant on the success of your business and the market and economic cycles.

In essence, you don’t know for a fact how much you or your company would earn. Plans and projections are essential; however, they are not guaranteed. The business world is very fluid, and so is the financial state of an entrepreneur. To stay in business and avoid brokenness, you would need to have good financial discipline and money management skills.

Conclusion

Most times, entrepreneurship is presented in a single light. Super dark or super bright. However, entrepreneurship is a spectrum, and getting a clear picture would require careful consideration of all pros and cons.

In truth, some features of entrepreneurship double as pros and cons. It all comes down to how well you manage your business.  The good news is the pros outweigh the cons by an extensive margin.

Position 2 Profit Membership

Position 2 Profit Membership is for an online business community of leaders who want to position their business for profit. Business evolves at a different level when profit begins and how does your business grow from there? The group is led by Allison Todd, Operations & Digital Growth Strategist. Our members are committed to building a network of referrals, resources and accountability.  Entrepreneurship is hard but you don’t have to do it alone.

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