• More Business Articles

  • How to Start an Internet Business in Five Steps
  • Internet Business Coaching
  • Make Money Online with Focus and Self Discipline
  • Free Stuff for Internet Entrepreneurs
  • Success Mindset Training
  • Organize Daily Work for Maximum Efficiency
  • Join My Blogroll
  • How to Get Other People to Do the Work for You
  • Entrepreneurship and Risk
  • The 80/20 Rule for Entrepreneurs

• Resources

  Small Business Grants
  SEO Copywriting
  
  

• Search

An entrepreneur is a business owner.  And a business owner should occupy a position outside of the everyday operations of the business itself.

As Michael Gerber reminds us again and again, you must work *on* your business and not *in* your business to be a true entrepreneur.

The key to making this work is getting other people to do the job for you.  There’s nothing worse than creating what you thought was a  business, only to find you created a job.  Entrepreneurs aren’t cut out for jobs.  We’re cut out for ownership, but it takes discipline to make this really happen…

The problem is that most entrepreneurs are talented.  We’re good at a lot of different types of work and we often enjoy wearing many different hats in our work.  Of course, we always think that we can do a job better than anyone else.

And we probably can.  But that’s just not the point.

Let’s take a second look at a quote I posted on this very point recently:

An entrepreneur is “one who creates value by shifting economic resources from low yield activities to areas where they would be more productive.”

So here’s your assignment, entrepreneurs – Find one task in your business that you can easily pay someone else to do.  Just focus on one for now.  The task should be something small but fairly time-consuming.  It should also be easy to define in terms of “completion” for another person.

Now, write that task down on a small slip of paper using 1-2 sentences only.

Ready?  Good.

Finally, find someone to do it.  Anyone.  Your kids.  Your neighbor’s kids.  A virtual assistant. Anyone.  (Well, ok – anyone *capable and competent.*)

Maybe you’ll have to pay out $10 for one hour of work, maybe more like $25.  Whatever the amount, try to think of this more as an investment.  As Tim Ferriss recommends, paying someone else to do easy work for you, you’re creating greater opportunities for you to focus on the very important tasks and to get your mind off the daily minutiae.

Here are some resources for finding help for a variety of your business tasks:

Elance.com
Rentacoder.com
Craigslist.org
GetFriday.com

Happy outsourcing!

We all love holidays.  Perhaps the number one reason most love holidays is time off from work.  If you’re a traditional employee in a traditional job, this applies to you.  On the other hand, employees at Wal-Mart and Starbucks are unlikely to enjoy a reprieve from their workaday world. 

Labor Day is really a funny holiday. 

At this point, the first Monday of September is little more than a last shot at long-weekend summer fun.  That, and reminder to not wear white. 

I think Labor Day should really be “Entrepreneurship Day.” 

Really – think about it: Instead of giving everyone a day off to grab the jet-skis and head for the lake yet again, let’s open the door for real change. 

Think of it: one day off to recalibrate your life and consider how the principles of entrepreneurship can make real change happen.  Want another long weekend for trekking out-of-town?  How about a long weekend *every* weekend?

Established entrepreneurs could come together and give free seminars.  The Small Business Administration (SBA) could offer similar workshops on starting a business.  Financial planners could provide free consultations for learning more about investment opportunities and retirement plans.

We could also honor all successful entrepreneurs for their hard work and significant contributions to the American economy.  Talk about a great way to celebrate some of our most important cultural values – initiative, independence, ingenuity, etc. 

This could be an amazing holiday with real purpose and not just another wasted Monday off from the office.  Think about it and spread the word!

I think Steve Pavlina is amazing. And I think Tim Ferriss is amazing. Both of these guys are incredible in their own right, and each has contributed wonderful things to the personal development and entrepreneurship worlds.

Lately, I’ve given a lot of credit to Tim Ferriss for his insightful tips on business building and ruthless time management. Credit well deserved. If you still haven’t read that book, do it!

But after inadvertently surfing my way to StevePavlina.com recently, I realized just how much Mr. Pavlina had already contributed to these same issues - and in articles you can read for free right now to boot!

So here it is, folks: a list of my very own Top 10 Steve Pavlina Articles. These are must reads!

Giving up TV
33 Rules to Boost Productivity
The 50-30-20 Rule
Overclock Your Audio Learning
Efficient Email
How to Become an Early Riser
The Law of Attraction
30 Days to Success
10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job
10 Ways to Relaxify Your Workspace

These are in no particular order – trust me, that’s way too much to ask. Choosing 10 is hard enough. Enjoy!

Related Articles:

• Using Affirmations for Business Success: 5 Steps to Renew Your Goals
• Internet Marketing Resource: MarketingExperiments.com
• Make Millions with Your Ideas – Literally!
• Maximize Your Self Concept for Business Success
• Mindful Startup Resources
• Are You 100% Committed?
• Create Your Own Reality
• Articles on Getting Started for Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs use creativity to build something that works.  That’s a very general definition.  In business terms, an entrepreneur builds something that works, and the measure is revenue, profit, and longevity. 

So what are the “principles of entrepreneurship”?  How does an entrepreneur pull this off?
The idea is…

• To be creative
• To take initiative
• To stay motivated
• To generate profit
• To empower and support others
• To provide value

Entrepreneurship is a way of life, no doubt.  But the context for the entrepreneurial imperative is business.  The business world encourages entrepreneurs to take risks with the promise of profit. 

I am a firm believer that entrepreneurship is about far more than just building a successful business.  (Another way to put this: Entrepreneurship is about more than just making money.) 

Let’s transform the concept by applying the verb form of the word – “to entrepreneur.”
How can you *entrepreneur* your life?  How can you apply creativity, initiative, motivation, and abundance to everything in addition to your business?

Many entrepreneurs do these things naturally, which is why they become entrepreneurs in the first place.  Yet, becoming such a person is a process – not an overnight thing.  No one is born a successful entrepreneur.  Entrepreneurs come from various backgrounds, family lines, ethnic groups, etc.   

There is only one defining characteristic that all entrepreneurs share: the entrepreneurial mindset.  And by mindset, we mean: “a habitual or characteristic mental attitude that determines how you will interpret and respond to situations.”

Just one quick look at the above definition provides our answer.  Since a mindset is “a habitual or characteristic mental attitude,” then the entrepreneurial mindset must naturally be part of the entrepreneur’s business *and* personal life.

The trick, of course, lies in pulling that off successfully.  No entrepreneur really wants to work all the time.  That defeats the very purpose of creating your own business! 

As Tim Ferriss so artfully explains, virtually all entrepreneurs come from the 8-5 working world and thus bring along an employee mindset into the entrepreneurial world.  Working all day comes naturally for most people…unfortunately.

So what are we aiming for in applying entrepreneurship to personal life? 

First, not to work.  That’s right.  We need to crystallize that point right at the beginning.
White sand beaches and crisp, refreshing mohitos are enchanting, but the relaxation phase cannot and does not last forever.  Soon enough, the snake charms us again.  Really, we do it to ourselves.  That’s how we got there in the first place, right?

This is precisely why entrepreneurs are especially prone to workaholism.  We love to work because it brings us so much meaning in life.  Work is good, but only if it’s the kind of work that truly inspires, enriches, and enhances the quality of life. 

Most profit-building projects do not do this for us.  We’re only going to find that style of fulfillment in going to work on the self – in pursuing personal passions, causes, growth, and adventures.  True, there are the occasional business pursuits or work activities that do create great personal fulfillment.  But why limit yourself to only one way of going about this?

The point is simple: entrepreneurs need to plan life in such a way that prioritizes self-promoting activities.  And that’s the whole point of becoming and being an entrepreneur: to create the lifestyle of your dreams! 

In the end, it really is up to you to *entrepreneur* your own life.  You’ve got to discover what it is you truly want to do.  This can be hard at first, especially as the impulse to work creeps into every vision you concoct. 

I’m certainly not suggesting that work is totally out of the question.  Just try to rethink your idea of work.  For example, say you’ve always wanted to teach but have avoided the vocation because of lack of pay, poor support, burnout, and all the other things typical teachers complain about. 

Why not become a very different kind of teacher?  Focus your efforts on being positive and uplifting in the classroom and around colleagues.  Remember: the idea here is to be creative, to take initiative, to stay motivated, to generate profit, to empower and support others, and to provide value!

Related Articles:

• How to Integrate Personal & Business Development
• Work and Play: Strike a Balance
• How to Upsell Your Customers and Clients
• Creating Passive Streams of Income
• The Great Formula
• The Tipping Point

Let’s take a look at the very concept of an “internet business” to define the term right away:

The typical “internet business” is a company or organization that generates regular profit from sales made exclusively online. Some business components may exist in the “offline” world, but the sole medium for sales processing and customer contact is the Internet.

For a specific look at various types of internet business models – that is, different ways of using the internet to create a revenue stream or to maximize and enhance existing revenue streams – check out “The Top 4 Internet Business Models.”

The idea of an “internet business” is appealing because of the potential for automation and mobility. Without a need for a brick-and-mortar store or a standing warehouse, you can travel anywhere with the business on a laptop, or decide tomorrow that you’d like to move, never once worrying about the impact on your business plan.

So what are the essential elements of an internet business?

Well, like any other business, first you’ve got to have a product or service to sell.

Then, you’ve got to have an effective marketing and promotion plan for your product or service.

And, finally, you need a product delivery mechanism – i.e. shipping the product or providing the service.

To be true to the definition of an “internet business,” you must fulfill all three of these basic business processes via the internet. Your product or service must be presentable via a website. Your marketing and advertising methods must effectively deliver customers to the website. And your product or service fulfillment must be initiated and tracked online.

Some internet businesses can function with an entirely digital infrastructure: websites that feature the product, online advertising that instantly delivers customers to the websites, and even a digital product that can be accessed or downloaded immediately. Classic examples here include digital information products, membership sites, and some affiliate marketing methods.

Most internet businesses will require at least some offline mechanisms: offline advertising, physical inventory storage space, traditional shipping methods, customer service call centers, etc.

As I’m sure you’ve already guessed, it is truly impossible to build an entirely digital internet business, as at least some elements will always be handled offline. The internet is, after all, a manifestation of the offline world. (I know some people like to pretend otherwise.)

Still, with the current state of and constant progress in the world of technology, a primarily digital business is possible and comes with a handful of great advantages:

• Automation creates less or zero need for permanent employees
• Online marketing allows for more focused measuring and testing
• Digital delivery can greatly reduce shipping and fulfillment costs
• Email communication streamlines customer service requests

Any one or combination of these can lead to reduced overhead and increased profit margins – important attributes of any solid business model!

Related Articles:

• What is a Business Niche?
• The Information Marketing Business System
• Podcast Review - Internet Business Mastery
• Why Money is Important
• Keeping a Business Journal

← Previous Page — Next Page →