Featured Business Advice from Entrepreneur: Ivan Land Jr., Brand Marketing Strategist, Startup Consultant, & Creative Director of Ivan Land Jr. Consulting and Design (ivanlandjr.com) shares practical tips on bootstrapping for entrepreneurs of color.
1) Be A Contributor.
We all benefit from the countless mounds of free information on the internet that teach us everything from best entrepreneurial branding practices to gaining more clientele. But – the most fulfilled and successful creatives have learned to be contributors more than consumers. It’s our job as entrepreneurs to help our peers excel while empowering our successors.
Don’t worry, though – it starts with the small things. A Yelp review to help someone else avoid getting that awful soup, maybe a Tweet that offers your best tips for organization. Quite naturally we all have aha moments, but not all of us share as much as we benefit. Believe it or not; “Give and you shall receive” isn’t just a religious principle – it works in business too!
The Point: Don’t Be an Info-Hoarder, Give Back Every Chance You Get.
2) Be Purpose-Driven.
Creatives are known to work from our passions above all else. And in business, sometimes that means we need a bit more help staying in the game. If you’ve ever had a client who really…uh, grinds your gears (for lack of a more explicit complaint) you know exactly what I mean. When the pressures of being the boss make you momentarily consider going back to that dreadful 9-to-5 grind, you have to have a sustaining factor.
Why are you doing this? Is it to inspire others? To create a passive income? To travel more maybe? Whatever your ‘Why’ is, find it and keep it dear to you – you’ll need it.
The Point: Don’t Forget Your Original Reason
3) Be A Good “Business Parent.”
Once you get over the hump of the terrible twos – just like kids; your business really begins to develop a personality of its own. You have to be okay with letting your business grow beyond you. For example, If your business idea is built on risk-taking and you, as a person, rarely ever make decisions that aren’t calculated; move your personal preferences out of the way and take those leaps.
Founders Row is community for creative entrepreneurs of color whose mission is to provide entrepreneurs a first row seat in entrepreneurial success. Our mission is to share practical solutions and opportunities with founders representing start-ups in the tech and creative Industries through a variety of online and in-person forums.
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